Mid-Week Message - Wise Choices

"So be careful how you live.  Don't live like fools, but like those who are wise.  Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.  Don't act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do."  Ephesians 5:15-17  (NLT)  

There is a little rhyme about a peanut that I used to say with my daughter.  It goes like this:  "A peanut sat on a railroad track, his heart was all a-flutter.  Along came a train whistling down that track -- toot, toot, peanut butter."  It's just a silly little poem but I found it useful in teaching her about making smart choices.  Those of you with children know that anything that can be used to teach should be taken advantage of.  I believe Jesus used parables in the same way.  He saw an opportunity to teach and took it. 

Even as an adult though, I think that little peanut can teach us something.  Obviously it wouldn't be smart to sit down and rest on a railroad track.  But we are faced with choices that have to made all day, every day.  When we open our eyes in the morning, we are presented with a blank slate and as we move through the day, we have multiple chances to choose wisely.

As people cross our paths we have the option of sharing the love of the Lord with them.  We have chances to invest a bit of time in their lives, showing them they are important and finding out how we can pray for them.  Or we can let those opportunities pass on by as we worry about our own lives, never giving a thought to what difficulties others may be facing or what needs they may have.  We may never know what happens in those lives after that moment.  What if it isn't only us that lets those moments go?  What if no one else reaches out to them even though we assume someone will?  

Whether we spend our days in a workplace, in the public, or at home, the most important thing needs to be representing Christ.  We are to be His reflection.  The way we treat others, the way we do business, the way we act in the grocery store line, the way we parent, the way we speak, the way we conduct ourselves while driving, the way we relate through social media are all chances to exercise wisdom.  The saying, "More of Jesus, less of me" should be our guide.  Each waking moment we have the privilege of walking hand in hand with our Savior.  If we remember He is beside us, maybe that will help us to keep in mind that whatever we choose to do should honor Him.  

I include myself in everything I have said above.  It is sometimes a struggle for me to reach out to those around me.  I have to pray for that reminder and strength.  The enemy is very good at continually whispering to me about the problems in my own life.  He loves for me to focus on myself because when I do I am not being mindful of the power of God's grace and mercy.  Only when my eyes are on Him do I understand the importance of choosing to honoring Him and blessing others.  

Everything we do is a choice of some kind.  What we fill our minds with, how we manage our time, and, most importantly, how we share Jesus with others, are all major selections that we make each and every day.  If we fail to choose wisely it hurts us and possibly others.  As we go through this week, let's exercise the option to choose wisdom in all we do and say.  May God guide and bless us all.  

Mid-Week Message - Concentrating on Wisdom

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”  Matthew 7:24-27 (NIV)

Each year the Lord gives me a word or a phrase to concentrate on.  One year, the word was "trust."  Of course I never know at the time why He gives me what He does.  That year I found out why fairly quickly though.  My husband had gotten ill with what we thought was a simple sinus infection at the end of December.  By February, however, he was in surgery and fighting for his life.  That illness brought about a series of changes and difficulties for our family and "trust" became the most important word in my life.  The next year, as I continued to lean upon trusting Him, He gave me the word "wisdom."  

I have always admired Solomon for asking the Lord for wisdom when he was told he could ask for anything, and I am so glad that his story is included in scripture.  I wonder how many of us would have chosen as well if given the same option.  While I sincerely hope that I would put similar thought into such an offer, I fear that I would reach for something more immediately gratifying.  Actually, I would probably ask for the needs of my family members to be met because that is more concerning to me than anything that I desire personally. 

There are lessons about being wise all around us.  We have only to open our eyes and ears to find them.  Even the youngest among us are exposed to opportunities to see the difference between wisdom and foolishness.  The story of The Three Little Pigs has been on my mind since I started pondering this subject.  We all know that there were three pigs who needed to build houses for themselves.  The first one was in a hurry to get it done so he could return to having fun so he put together the fastest thing he could think of which was a house of straw.  The second pig put a little more thought into his and chose sticks to build his home out of.  Neither of these two considered the future dangers that their choices could encounter. Just as the man who built his house upon the sand, once the high winds came, the houses fell.  But the third little pig took his time to plan for unforeseen occurrences.  I'm sure he looked at all his options before he made his choice and he chose wisely.  His house of bricks stood up to everything the "big bad wolf" threw at it because it was sturdy and well built just like the house built on the rock.  

The "rock" represents our faith.  When we entrust the Father with our cares and turn to Him with our needs, concerns and fears, we are exercising wisdom.  We are seeking His counsel, and asking for His direction.  Wisdom comes from seeing from the standpoint of the mind of God.  When we ask Him to show us how He sees our lives and circumstances, we are asking Him to make us wise.  We begin to move beyond worldly understanding and lean more upon Him to teach us to see through spiritual eyes and hear through spiritual ears.  The more we do that, the closer we draw near to Him and the more our hearts and minds are transformed.  Being one with Him will be our greatest desire.  

As I continue to ask for His wisdom I hope you all will come along and that we can embark upon this adventure together.  Keep your eyes and ears open for other examples, such as the simple fairy tale I spoke of.  Ask God to reveal Himself through unexpected sources.  He will.  You just have to be watching.  God bless you.

Lessons on Faith - Don't Be Afraid

Last week, I received some very disappointing news and now face more issues with my recovery and more unknowns. More questions and possibilities continued to arise from the discussion with the specialists and surgeons. What was supposed to be a simple consultation turned into another fearful discussion of unknowns. What was supposed to be the light at the end of the tunnel turned into yet another flashing warning sign. Another specialist was added to the growing list of individuals on my healthcare team.

In midst of all of this, I rested on the assurance of God the Father. As He promised the Israelites, He has made that same promise to each of us.

Isaiah 35:4 New Living Translation (NLT)

4 Say to those with fearful hearts,
    “Be strong, and do not fear,
for your God is coming to destroy your enemies.
    He is coming to save you.”

Later in Isaiah 35, God promises that their sorrow and mourning will disappear and they will be filled with joy and gladness.

Isaiah 35:10 New Living Translation (NLT)
10 Those who have been ransomed by the Lord will return.
    They will enter Jerusalem singing,
    crowned with everlasting joy.
Sorrow and mourning will disappear,
    and they will be filled with joy and gladness.

So, when I am filled with fear, uncertainty and doubt, I will remember the promises of the Lord and dwell on His word. We have nothing to fear.  If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 

Lessons on Faith - Facing the Unknown

The fear of the unknown will often get the better of us. When we are unable to see what is coming ahead or do not know what we will be facing, fear sets in quickly. We find ourselves wanting to slip quietly back into the safety of our beds and just pulling the sheets over our heads. We are paralyzed by fear and unable to enjoy life. The unknown has a definite way of stopping us from enjoying life by having us fear the future. 

As I discovered with my illness, there were so many times when my wife and myself faced the unknown. No sooner would we get the answer to one question, we had five more. Some of the answers we received were no more than guesses or conjecture. We often found ourselves dealing daily with the unknown as doctors and specialists scratched their heads trying to figure out what was happening. We heard several doctors say the same thing, "I do not have a clue about what you are facing." They were very honest, but it was indeed unnerving. 

When you consider that the average human faces 30,000 possible known illnesses, it boggles the mind. When we were told by experienced doctors that they did not know what was going on, we were scared. Finally, after weeks of getting bounced from one doctor to another, we found one who knew what I had and what we were facing. When he received the results of my CT and MRI scans, he was shocked. A look of horror was on his face as he delivered the news that I had to seek immediate help from an experienced healthcare team. In his career, he had only seen four cases of what I had and none of them ended very well.

The healthcare team that was assembled and assigned to get me through this were also afraid of the unknown. There were so many things that they worried about. One question after another came up. More and more specialists and experts were consulted. Each working quickly to save my life. 

Once they were able to diagnose my illness and figure out what bacteria and fungus they were facing, the unknown quickly shifted to the known. The race was on. But, there was one question that lingered on everyone's mind, "Are we too late?" Still more questions popped up. "Is the damage irreparable? Will Jesse die from the infections? Can we stop the progress quickly?" These were the next questions that the team faced. It was a race with an unknown finish line. 

The skilled team was able to get ahead of the infection and save my life. But, the road to recovery was far from over. Due to the insidious nature of the fungal infection, it had buried itself deep into my facial bones. The aggressive treatment could do more harm than good.  There was yet another question and unknown that came to the minds of the specialists, "Was Jesse capable of handling the treatment?"

The unknown scares everyone and causes you to stop living. You are in perpetual fear and doubt. You cannot sleep or eat. You cannot think of anything else and nothing else matters to you. Having faced all of that, I can easily tell you there were times when I just wanted to cover my head and hope that things were going to just go away. My wife and I struggled daily just like anyone would to make sense of all of this. But, we got through it. If it had not been for our faith in God and His mercy and grace, we would have just given up and just let things slip away. 

As we relied more and more on our faith, we remembered the words of Jesus when he preached his greatest message. Let us look at his words in Matthew 6. "31 So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need."

Instead of worrying about the unknown, we concentrated on the known. We knew that God would provide a way even when it seemed like there was no way out. He provided the right people to diagnose my illness and gave them the knowledge and experience to handle the unknown and drive to find the answers. None of them ever gave up on me. God gave them the strength to fight alongside me to win the battle and save my life.

So, when you face the unknown, think of the known. God is always there. You are so very valuable to Him. So valuable that He gave His one and only son as your sacrifice for your disobedience so that you can have life everlasting. With those known facts firmly planted in your heart and mind, the unknown dwindles away to nothing and you can face tomorrow.

Lessons on Faith - Be Positive

One of the members of our congregation at Lakeline Oaks Retirement Community in Cedar Park, Texas, Donna, would wear a bee brooch every Sunday. She shared with my wife and myself the story about that brooch. Donna told us that her late husband gave her bee brooches to remind her to "bee" positive. Her story is truly inspirational and should be a lesson for all of us.

Part of overcoming the overwhelming is having a positive outlook and maintaining a joyful attitude. We cannot allow the problems that we face to get the better of us. We need to remain positive and look to our Heavenly Father daily with joy and thanksgiving in our hearts. The psalmist tells us in Psalm 100, "1 Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth! 2 Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy. 3 Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name. 5 For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation."

Even when we are pressed from all sides by our problems and it seems like there is no way out, we should be joyful knowing that we have victory in and through Jesus' death and resurrection. In his second epistle to the Corinthians, Paul tells us in chapter 4, "8 We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. 9 We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. 10 Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies."

As we suffer through our trials and troubles, we are sharing in the suffering that Jesus endured. By doing so, we become a testimony to the entire world that it will take more than trials and troubles to crush our spirits. Proverbs 18 tells us, "10 The name of the LORD is a strong fortress; the godly run to him and are safe."

When you face the overwhelming, do not let your condition or situation get you down. Do what Paul and Silas did when they were in prison in Philippi. Even after being arrested, flogged, and imprisoned for causing a public nuisance, Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises to God.  Instead of lamenting what they were going through, they ran to the safety of the Lord with songs and prayers on their lips.  

Just like Paul and Silas, enter into His presence with joy, praise and thanksgiving. Do not let life's problems be a negative, "bee" positive.

Commit Yourself Today to the Lord

As I listen to some wonderful gospel music and do my daily reading, I am reminded of the words of Joshua. 

There comes a time in our lives that we need to reaffirm our faith and commit ourselves to serving the Lord wholeheartedly. Sometimes we get sidetracked and start worshiping worldly things. They become our gods and we move away from the one true, living, loving God who gave us His son as our atonement sacrifice to wash away our sins.
  
Joshua 24:14-15 New Living Translation (NLT)
14 “So fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone. 15 But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”

No matter what happens to me, I will continue to serve the Lord. He is my rock, my fortress and my shield. As I face the unknown, I shall not cower in fear.

Lessons of Faith - Loneliness

While I was in the hospital, my weekdays began around 2:00 AM. A lab technician would come to my room to draw my blood so that the internal medicine and infectious disease teams could monitor my blood chemistry to make sure that the medications were not doing more harm than good. The technician would draw vial after vial after vial of blood in order to run all of the tests that the teams needed to make their decisions for the day.

After the technician left, a nurse technician came in to check my vital signs in order to provide that information to the other teams for their review. By that time, the night nurse assigned to me would come by to start my IV medications. At some point, I had just enough time to start my daily routine of preparing for the day. Food service would drop by with my breakfast at around 6:00 AM and shortly thereafter all of the medical teams assigned to my case began their visits to check on me, review the results of my blood work from earlier that morning, discuss the day's events and ask me about my mental well-being.

These medical visits lasted until around 9:00 AM. During the meetings with the healthcare team, nurse shift change would occur. The night nurse would review my case with the day nurse and pass along any special orders from the medical team. Starting at 10:00 AM, my IV treatments started again and also my oral medications. All day long, I had a procession of nurses, nurse technicians, housekeepers, food service, specialists, doctors and a host of others in and out of my hospital room.

In time, things would begin to slow down. Finally around 11:30 PM, the lights in my room were dimmed and I could have some time to myself. It was during those hours between the last IV medication and the lab technician coming to draw my blood that I felt alone.

Although I tried to remain optimistic during the day, it was during those "empty" hours that I felt the most alone and isolated. I was alone with my thoughts and all of the things that were said to me during the course of the day. My mind would wander and I felt that God had abandoned me. The miracle that I prayed for did not come and so I had to endure all of this. I felt that I endured everything all alone. No one was there to talk to or just listen. No one was there to wipe away the tears. No one was there at all. Just me in a hospital room hoping and praying that I would see the next day.

This profound sense of loneliness would dog me each minute of those empty hours. Sometimes, I just could not sleep. I wondered if God had left me. Instead of continuing down that path, I would stop and begin to pray. My heart felt lighter and I knew that I was not alone. I felt God's presence right there in my room. I felt Jesus right there with me. I began to repeat the words of Deuteronomy 31. "8 Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you."

I drew great comfort in knowing that God Himself would personally go ahead of me and that He would personally ensure my safety and deliverance from this illness and never fail or abandon me. Once I began to say those words out loud, a tremendous weight was lifted from my shoulders and I was able to sleep. God gave me that wonderful peace that can only come from Him. 

Jesus, after giving his disciples the great commission to preach the gospel message to all nations and "baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit", told them in Matthew 28, "And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age." As followers of Christ Jesus, we, too, have that promise. Jesus would always be there with us no matter what happens. We can rest assured of that.

So, when you feel alone, do not give into those feelings and know that God and His son, Christ Jesus, are always there. They will never forsake or abandon you even during the worst of times.

Lessons of Faith - Dealing with Suffering

At some point in time, we all face a trial that profoundly impacts our lives. It could be medical, financial, spiritual or a combination of all three. We are pushed to our limits and we feel that we are alone. We feel that God has given up on us or that He has turned His back on us. In some cases, we feel that God has singled us out and He is punishing us for something that we have done or failed to do. We plead with God to relieve the suffering or, if it continues day after day, week after week and month after month, we ask Him, "Haven't I suffered enough?"

These are all natural things we do. We feel that God has abandoned us and that we are doomed to suffer for whatever reason. As I continue to deal with my illness, I can tell you that I have found myself wondering if God even cared for me or that He was listening to my prayers. I searched my soul to find where I had sinned and now had to endure punishment for something I had done. I cried out to God for wisdom and felt that all I received in return was silence. I know that there are those of you who have felt the same. 

We, however, should not feel that way. God always listens to His children and responds to their prayers. Peter tells us, in chapter 3 of his First Epistle, "12 The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers. But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil."

God listens to His children and watches over them. During our times of trials and troubles, we often forget His promise to us. We often succumb to the whispers of Satan as he tells us that God does not care about us. It is a lie. Once again, Satan exploits your situation and worms his way into your heart and mind. He tries to turn you away from God. Look at the last part of verse 12. God only turns His face away from those who do evil. As His children, we have been made righteous by God by accepting His son, Christ Jesus, as our personal Savior and Lord. Satan will always attack at the time when we are weakest. It is at that moment that we really are the strongest.

Paul, in his Second Epistle to the Corinthians, tells them about his weaknesses, and the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that he suffered for Christ. But, look at the last part of 2 Corinthians 12:10. "For when I am weak, then I am strong."

How is this even possible? Paul tells us about the Lord's response to his pleading to take away the insults, hardships, persecutions and trouble. "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." Since we cannot depend on ourselves, we must learn to depend on Him even during our times of trials and troubles. When we suffer, we are to reach out to Him in prayer not to plead with Him. We are to praise Him and thank Him for all of the blessings He has given us.

Even in the darkest hours, there are moments of light. We should be thanking God for those blessings of light that remind us that He loves us. Paul, in 1 Thessalonians 5, gives us the way we should be acting even in the face of disaster. "16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

It starts with us changing how we pray. God knows what we are enduring. When we change our prayer by moving away from pleading with Him to praising Him, our attitudes change and we are more optimistic and experience a God-given heavenly peace. We should be giving thanks and praying for His will to be done in our lives no matter what the final outcome is to be. It is a hard thing to accept, but we are assured that God will never forsake us.

Jesus, in John 16, tells us that we will face all sorts of trials and sorrows during the course of our lives. "33 I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world."

Jesus was victorious over death so that we may have eternal life and the promise of salvation. With that firmly planted in our heart, mind and soul, we, too, can overcome our many trials and sorrows and praise our Savior all the day long even during the most difficult of times as long as we remember to rejoice always, pray without ceasing and give thanks in all circumstances. 

Lessons of Faith - Grace and Mercy

During my illness, I have learned and continue to learn so many lessons about my faith. One of the biggest is always to praise and love our Heavenly Father daily. When I consider the grave situation my family and I faced and continue to face, I realize that all we have is our faith and the knowledge that God will provide a way when all may seem lost or dark. When there was no path, He cleared a way us. When there was only darkness around, He provide the light that guided our every step. When danger surrounded us, He provided a hedge of protection so that we had nothing to fear.

As one of my specialists told me, "Jesse, you are a walking, talking miracle. We don't even know why you are alive."

I responded, "Only by God's grace and mercy that I am still alive."

My family and I continue to praise, worship and love God and the mercy and grace that He provides us. We do not deserve it, but God, because of His infinite, everlasting and unfailing love for us, blesses us daily.

2 Corinthians 12:9 New Living Translation (NLT)

9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.

Lesson from Super Bowl LI

Last night, like millions of Americans around the world, I watched the Super Bowl. Many watched it for the commercials while others used it as a time to celebrate with friends. 

The game between the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons was a game that will go down in the annals of the National Football League as "epic". The Patriots staged a comeback that will be talked about for weeks. Instead of salvaging the game and trying to put some points on the board, the Patriots were resolute in their goal. They were going to win and they did. They tied the game and then won in overtime. What a comeback!

As Christians, we can easily see the parallel in our lives. As we strive to perfect our faith and remain a servant of God, we must keep our eyes focused on the prize and dedicate our lives to being a "good and faithful servant" of God. The lessons of Christ teach us that we must avoid temptation and live a righteous life. Like the football players, we must constantly practice by exercising our faith, doing what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Thinking about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

Paul reminds us of this so many times in his letter to the Philippians. In Chapter 3, Paul says that we must forget the past and look forward to what lies ahead, and to press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, calls us (v. 13-14). 

The Patriots did not concentrate on the point deficit, but rather the task ahead of them, winning. We need to do the same in our lives. Forget the past, concentrate on the future and task ahead and press on to reach the end of the race.