Streams in the Desert

    Problems, difficulties,  and hardships I don't know about you but I have had my fair share of them. Maybe this week you, yourself have had to deal with certain things that have just seemed overwhelming. Perhaps you have had a car wreck and you are now trying to fight with the insurance to give you the money you need to purchase another vehicle. Maybe your recovering from a surgery or you received word that someone in your family is very sick and is in the hospital. Maybe you are reeling from the loss of a loved one and the grief you have is overwhelming. 

    I want you to know that your not alone.  Problems in life are nothing new, we all go through them from time to time. This is true for both the good and the bad, the saved and the unsaved. Problems and difficulties in life are impartial, they come to us all. 

    Now while that is true there is a diffrence for the believer in Christ and those who have yet to put there faith in Jesus Christ. We have a hope the world does not understand and does not know about. We have the option to put our hope and strength in God and trust that he will in His time and in His way will work these things out. We have a confidence in knowing that we are not walking through this valley alone. We have a certainty, knowing that the one who bleed and died for us, Jesus Christ, is with us in this trial. These are things that the lost do not possess. or even has access to apart from Jesus Christ. 

    Yet sadly sometimes we fail as believers to take ahold of the comfort afforded to us through Jesus Christ.  Even though we may know the help we are given through our relationship with Jesus, sometimes we fail to rely on that comfort. Instead we live in the valley of grief. We trudge through our troubles seeking to work things out on our own.  

    I think in the times of hardships and loss its important to remember the various passages of scriptures that remind us of the hope that we have in our relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Passages like Psalms 85:5-7

“Blessed is the man whose strength is in YOU; Your ways are in their hearts. Passing through the valley of weeping, they will make it a fountain; the early rain also covers it with blessings. They go from strength to strength aperaing in Zion before God.” (Psa 85:5-7) 

    In this passage we see that the man who puts his strength in God is blessed. But how are they blessed? Will that person no longer have any problems in there life? Will they be blessed with an abundance of riches?  Will that person find success in there life or in there work? 

    Well to put it simply, No. Despite what some slick haired preacher might tell you. Being blessed does not necessarily mean those things. No the psalmists tells us that that person who puts there strength in God, who holds God's ways in there hearts that person passes through the valley of weeping. Now I don't know about you but the Valley of Weeping does not sound like a good name for a tropical resort. The valley of weeping sounds like a place I hope to avoid with extreme prejudice. 

    However is not not where many of us find ourselves in this life? Are there not times in our lives where we feel we are in the darkest times of our lives. Moments when our eye's are red with sorrow, and grief so great that there are no more words to express the hurt. Perhaps as your reading this you yourself are in such a valley. 

    The psalmist says that the man who finds his strength in God, who makes God's ways his desire. That person when he goes into the valley of weeping will make it a fountain and that the early rain will cover it with blessings. What the psalmist is saying is that as you go through the valley of weeping, relying on God's strength and ways. That person will find blessings upon blessing. 

    We will see blessings for ourselves as we see God working through our problems and see how God provides for our needs. How he gives us the comfort's us in our time of grief and pain. How God brings healing to our body and soul. How God protects us in the midst of the various attacks we face. Furthermore we will see blessings for others as God allows our pain to help others going through the same. 

    It is in these blessings that help us grow stronger in our faith, as we rely more and more on God in the valley of weeping. These blessings will strengthen you and prepare you for the next battle that you will have to face in this life.  That is why the psalmist says "They go from strength to strength appearing in Zion before God

     You see we are all on a journey in this life. As we go through this journey we all must go through the valley of weeping from time to time. However you don't have to go through this alone. We can and should rely on God's strength and God's ways and if we will do that  we will find fountains of blessings, and you will find yourself coming out of that valley stronger than when you went in. 

Taking God's warning seriously

    Cindy had just got a new job at her town's Dairy Queen. As she worked there she could not help but notice something that concerned her. She could not help but see how blackened, crusted the ventilation duct was in the ceiling over the top of the grills. What concerned her even more, is that she began to notice that the grill seemed to smoke a lot more than she thought it should.  Each day she worked she continued to observe this more closely.  

    Finally she could not help but bring her concerns to the Manager, supervisors and to her co-workers.  However no matter how much she tried, they seemed to not pay to much attention to her warnings or her concerns. They would tell her "Oh it's ok, Its been that way for years and there is nothing to worry about. Cindy could not help but feel that the more she called this to there attention, the more and more annoyed with her and her warnings they became. No matter she was insistent that they needed to get these vents cleaned and it needed to be maintained, other wise it was going to catch on fire. 

    It was not long before Cindy left her job for one that offered more hours and more pay. However, before she left her position she shared once more about her concern and pleaded with her boss to do something about this issue. 

    Sure enough it was not two weeks after Cindy left her job that the unthinkable happened. Sirens began to wail, plumes of smoke could be seen coming from the local Dairy Queen as the workers stood outside watching the restaurant go up in flames. Fortunately no one got hurt, but all of this could have been avoided had someone, anyone would have listened to Cindy's warnings.

    Sadly this kind of thing happens time and time again. So many times we hear warnings about one thing or another and instead of taking the warnings seriously we simply ignore it. Doctors warn you about watching what you eat, but that often does not stop you from pushing away from the table. You may hear how you need to save money for the future, yet you ignore it and spend your money as fast as you make it. 

    In the bible we see several stories where individuals receive warnings from God. Some of these individuals we see take God's warnings seriously. Then there are others who sadly dismiss the warnings from God altogether. 

    In the bible there is a very familiar story about a man named Noah. In this story God warns Noah that He is planning on destroying the entire world with a flood. God told Noah that what he needed to do in light of this apocalyptic news is for him to build an ark for Noah and his family. 

    Years and years later the writer of the book of Hebrews wrote this about Noah;

 "By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith." — Heb_11:7

     We like Noah have been warned by God of another judgment. A great and final judgment that is coming some day soon. "For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.(Romans 14:11-12)" 

    Much like Noah those of us who are saved are called to the same kind of work. We are to share the good news of Jesus Christ. We are to proclaim to the world that the wrath of God was poured out on His Son for our sake and that if you will just put your faith in Jesus Christ you too can be saved. 

    The question that I believe we need to be asking is this; are you living your life like Noah did? No I don't mean are you building a large ark and gathering all the animals. What I mean is this are you living your life in such a way that you are preparing for His return?  Are you sharing the gospel and warning others of the coming judgment? Is your life that you live a life completely devoted to serving God and bringing Glory to His name? 

    I mankind as a whole tend to not take God's warning seriously. We tend to treat God's warnings like the people at that Dairy Queen took the warning about that vent. We ignore it and try not to think about the judgment of God that is coming. Sometimes we may be cognitively aware of God's judgement, but fail to do anything about it. Sometimes we procrastinate and think that we have all the time in the world to share our faith, to tell others about Jesus. Sometimes we get so busy in our daily lives that we ignore the most pressing issue of our lives and the lives of others, and that is where will you spend eternity. Sometimes we don't share the gospel with others, out of willful disobedience. 

    I believe that as we look at Noah and his story it should challenge us to live our lives in the same way. To take the warnings of God's judgment seriously. To do whatever we can to reach and save as many people as we can while there is time to do it. Lets keep focused on the mission God has given you and I as believers. Lets continue working toward the Great Commission that Christ had given you and I as believers in Christ. 

    Lastly if you are reading this and there is a question or a doubt as to where you would go if the Lord came back tomorrow....or if you were to die today. That may vary well be God's warning for you to get saved before it is too late. Don't ignore it! There is a judgment that is coming for all mankind. All of us have sinned against a Holy and Righteous God. God being a Just and Holy God cannot allow your sins to go unpunished, and so the wrath of God is on you. The great news is however that the wrath of God was poured out on His Son Jesus Christ for you, so that you might be saved. If you will only cry out to God today, repent of your sins and ask God to save you from your sins, you too can be saved today. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.- (Romans 10:13)

Scientific Déjà vu

   Last week as I happened to come to a interesting article  published by Popular Mechanics. This article was about a new scientific discovery where they said they found the light source that literally turned on the Universe.  You can find this article here: Astronomers Found the Ancient Light Source That Literally Turned On the Universe

     I want to just share the first portion of that article because I found it very interesting. 

"For hundreds of a millions of years, the universe existed in the dark ages—an epoch when only primordial gasses existed. Then, a period of reionization, cleared away this foggy existence an introduced light into the universe. Now, an international team of scientists at the helm of the James Webb Space Telescope have analyzed eight of the faintest dwarf galaxies that existed during this time, and determined that these galaxies produced enough radiation to kickstart the reionization process. While the “Epoch of Reionization” sounds like the title of a sci-fi novel destined for a Hugo award, this very real era of the universe featured the first light from the very first stars. Before this epoch, the universe was nothing more than a dark void filled with a fog of primordial hydrogen gas—and then, suddenly, there was light."

Another words what these scientist discovered is that before the universe began there was nothing but a "dark void filled with a fog of primordial hydrogen gas" Then as they describe it "Suddenly there was Light"  What a fascinating discovery that these scientists have found.

    But what I found most fascinating is not the discovery it self. No, what I thought most interesting is that much like how Christopher Columbus "discovered" America, this discovery was nothing new. In fact when I read this article I could not help but feel I had read something similar somewhere else before. In fact I was positive that this discovery was already documented not 20, 100, or even 1,000 years ago. No this discovery had been written down well over 4,000 years ago! 

    You see when I read that article I could not help but realize that what those scientists described fit exactly with the first three verses of the book of Genesis.

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

(Genesis 1:1-3)

    I want you to realize how unique this is. Before the invention of the telescope, space shuttles and the exploration of outer space. Before we sent a probs to Mars, and before Neal Armstrong took that historic "giant leap". This discovery was already inscribed in scripture. In fact before America gained it independence, before the dark ages, before the fall of Rome or the conquests of Alexander the Great, this newly discovered information was already written down. How is that even possible? 

    Out of all the creation stories from various religions in the world very few of them believe the world was created out of nothingness. The vast majority of the creation myths believe creation started with some animal, mythical creature, or some demigod. Those creation stories that do believe the universe was created from nothingness, believe that the first thing that was created was something other than light. This makes what we read in Genesis unique and the only one that agrees perfectly with this "new found discovery". 

    This is just one of the many times we find when a scientist, astronomer, archologist, or a historian discovers something that the scripture had already declared.  Time and time again we see scripture being proven true when new discoveries are being made. Surprisingly the bible has described with great accuracy things like evaporation, precipitation, and condensation. It points out truths about the earth and the universe that were unknown for thousands of years. Prior to 1993 it was debated weather or not there was a real King David who ruled the nation of Israel, that is until they found an artifact that confirmed it. If you want to learn more about these things check out these two articles 3 scientific Facts found in the bible  and Archaeologist proves the bible

    I have said all of this to say this. When we talk about the bible, we are not just talking about just any book. We are talking about the Word of God. These "new" discoveries show us time and again the reliability of scripture. We see that the bible giving us reliable information on the things that we see, research and find, not just once but over and over this has been true. Its this reliability in scripture that should help us trust those things that cannot be tested in a lab, looked at through a telescope, or discovered in a archeological dig. It should give us the confidence in knowing those miraculous events we read about in scripture actually and factually happened. 

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

(2 Timothy 3:16-17)

 

Good and pleasing Unity

    When I look at the history of the Israelite people found in the bible. I see similarities to my own life as well as to America. By that I am not saying that just like Israel is God's chosen people, and so are Americans. I am not saying that at all. What I am saying is that there are something we see in the nation of Israel that I think we have seen and are seeing in our nation as well. Let me explain. 

    First off Israel was a nation that was divided up by 12 different tribes. In the same way the United States of America is divided up by 50 individual states. Much like America Israel is filled with examples of times when the nation as a whole was fighting among themselves. There were times that these infightings resulted in divisions between people, families and tribes. There are even times when the nation of Israel, much like America once was, was split and separated from one another.  Israel became two diffrent nations, the nation of Judah and the nation of Israel ( comprised of 10 Israelite Tribes). In American during the civil war the country was divided between the North and the South. 

    However there were other times in both of these nations history when we don't see such divisiveness, division and infighting. There are moments when the nation of Israel would come together and work together. As there were times when the United States of America was untied and came together as well.

 

    I remember how after 9/11 attack how the American people came together as a nation. We laid aside our differences for a time and saw ourselves as Americans first. Almost every house you saw the American Flag waving in solidarity and unity with a grieving nation. Musicians began writing patriotic songs, putting our feelings to words. We came together in prayer and came back to the various houses of worship. We banded together at least for a short time and it was beautiful. 

    One of the times that the nation of Israel had came together as a nation was when David became King of Israel. For years the nation was divided and fighting against one another. The King at the time, waged an all out war against David and anyone who dared to harbor him, even though David did nothing to provoke him. However over time God moved in such away that he removed Saul off the throne and in His place David became King and the nation was united together. 

    Many scholars believe that it was that very event that led David to write Psalm 133:1 

See how good and how pleasing it is for brothers to be living together in harmony!-  (Psa 133:1)

In that one verse we see David is expressing his thoughts and feelings about the unity that he was seeing as he took the throne as King.  David saw it as a good thing and pleasing to God. 

    Now to be sure it was a unity that was tested. They were living together and as anyone who has been married for any length of time can tell you, living together in unity is not easy. You begin to notice the flaws of the other person. Unity takes work and the nation of Israel at that time had to work to maintain that unity.  

    Sadly, much like the unity our nation had after 9/11, the unity Israel had did not last long either. They began fighting amongst themselves. Allowing various issues to be a source of division and disunity. 

    When you look back at the nation of Israel and that of our own nation. I believe that what you find is the moments in our nation where we were our strongest was the moments where we were the most united. Moments when we come together to serve and help one another. Moments when we worked together for a common goal. Where we did not treat our brothers and sisters, our fellow Americans like the enemy. 

    I believe that is true not just for a nation, but that is true for every organization and group of people. No matter if you are talking about a business, a charity organization, a church, or even your family. Unity brings strength, and productivity. It encourages others who feel alone to know that they are not.

    It is a beautiful thing to see in those rare moments when you people once again united together. Its in those moments that I can't help but hear those words penned by King David so very long ago ring true once more. "How Good and and how pleasing it is for brothers to be living together in harmony. In deed it is. 

    So lets strive to work toward unity. Lets work to keep the unity among ourselves. Let's not become divided over silly, secondary matters. Lets be quick to love and understanding. Lets seek forgiveness for our own wrongs and be willing to forgive those who desire to be forgiven. Lets work toward a common goal and build upon the unity that truly is good and pleasing to God. 

 

Are you listening?

    I have a problem and I am finally willing to admit it. Its a problem that apparently, if not all, men have. No its not the unsightly hair that seems to be growing out of my ears at such a rapid rate. No my problem apparently, at least according to my wife and kids is I don't listen. Although I am not exactly sure about that because I wasn't really paying attention when they told me 😂

    Apparently my wife or my children will tell me something important, like a appointment. They will tell me that on a specific date at a specific time there is something that is needed to be done. Now when that apparent date comes around. I find my self dumbfounded. I am shocked that it is the first time I have ever been told about that appointment. However they swear up and down that they had told me about the said appointment days, weeks even months ago. Now no matter how much they try to convince me of how they have time and time again have relayed this information and repeatedly reminded me of it. I have to be honest I just never heard them say a thing about it. 

    Now I have heard tales of how this is not a problem that is merely limited to me. In fact I have heard several instances of other men experiencing the very same set backs in there listening ability. I have heard countless other wives complaining about their husbands inability to listen to what they have said.

    Truth be told the problem many times is that while I might hear what my family tells me. I am not always listening. I am distracted with something else and my attention is divided. So while I might be informed of some up coming event, I am not listening completely. I miss out on the details because I am not really listening to what I am being told. 

     When it comes to God and his word, I think we can all be guilty from time to time of not really listening. We might read a passage of scripture and for one reason or another, fail to really understand what we have just read. We may listen to a sermon but our mind is off somewhere else. We might hear what God says in his word, but fail to internalize it and apply it to our lives. We can sometimes hear something or read something and instead of thinking what we are hearing is for us, we believe the message is for someone else. 

    This is what many of the disciples choose to do the week prior to the death of Jesus Christ. As we read the gospel accounts chronologically we find that time and again Jesus tried to prepare the disciples for what was about to take place. He warned them of there future short comings. He tried to tell them that He would be betrayed, beaten and die. 

    How did the disciples react to Jesus's warnings and grim predications? They either ignored the warnings all together. Or swear that nothing like what Jesus was saying would come to pass. They said that they would never betray Him. They refused to accept that Jesus would suffer let alone die.

    However as you study the gospel accounts there was one person who took Jesus's warnings seriously. There was one woman to was listening to what Jesus said and internalized it. That woman's name was Mary.  Her story is written in 3 of the 4 gospels and I want to share the account found in Matthew.

Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat. But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste? For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor. When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me. For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always. For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial.- (Mat 26:6-12)

     It is in this passage that we see that Mary had saved this fragrant and expensive oil. For the sole purpose of pouring it all out to anoint Jesus's body. Jesus tells us that she did this for a reason. What was that reason? She did it to anoint Jesus's body for his burial.

    So out of all the disciples that Jesus had. Out of all the disciples who were closest to him. Out of all the warnings Jesus was giving to these disciples, telling them that He was going to die. It was Mary who was listening. It was Mary who acted in faith. It was Mary to trusted that what Jesus said was going to happen was going to Happen. 

     When we talk about God and His word, we need to keep this truth in mind. That truth is that it is not just about what we know. It's not about what we have heard. It not about what we have read. You can read and not really comprehend, You can hear a message but not really listen to what God is telling you. You can know certain truths found in scripture, but not really believe it enough to act on it. 

    It's about really listening to God and His word. Its about putting our full trust and faith in it. It's about believing it so much that you live it out in your life. It's about not being so distracted with what your own plans or ideas that you fail to let the word of God direct you. Its about living out the scriptures in your life.

    We are so often like the disciples were that day. You see there was nothing wrong with their ears that they could not hear what Jesus said. They heard the same things Jesus said that Mary did. They did not receive a different message than Mary received. The diffrence is that Mary took the words Jesus said seriously enough to act upon them. The disciples however did not. They failed to really listen to what Jesus was saying, and because of this they failed to act. 

    We do the same thing. We hear God's word, maybe in a sermon or some devotion. We read something in the word of God that we should do. We know what it says, but we stop short of acting on it. We fail to implement and live out what we have heard or read. We fail to act, because we fail to really listen. We fail to take God and His word seriously. 

    So I ask you what good is it if you know what you read, but you don't actually do it? Did not Jesus tell us "IF YOU LOVE ME KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS". You see our faith is not just what we know. It's what we do. It how we apply the commands of Christ to our lives. It working our our faith in our lives. That is real faith, that is what makes the diffrence. So lets be like Mary, and live out the truths of God's word in our lives.

Save your Excuses

    If you have had kids for any period of time you know that sometime getting them to do something is like pulling teeth. I have three kids of my own and I learned really quickly what my father and mother had to go through with me and my two brothers. 

    I have found that there are a couple of common responses when you try to get your kids to do something. No matter if it is asking the kids to feed the dog, or take out the trash, or clean there room. There are a number of responses that you might get. You might hear "I did it last time" as they point to their siblings who they claim never have to do anything. You almost always get the eye roll, that is if they lift there head up from their phone that they are glued to. Then there are those rare, almost supernatural moments where they get up and do exactly what you told them to do. At least that is what I am told. 

    However, many times when you  ask your kids to do something and then you head off. What will you find when you come back? Either your child has not even moved, or they are still working ( probably because they heard you coming) or they say that they are finished. Regardless of what they are doing, or what they say they have done or are doing. What you find is that nothing if anything has been touched. 

·Now when that happens what you will undoubtedly hear are the excuses. You will hear a list of all the reasons why you are unreasonable, why they were unable to accomplish the task. "I couldn't find the trash bags." "So and so is not working" or "I was going to get to it" 

    In the many years of being a parent as well as the many years I spent as a child I have both heard and used every excuse under the sun. In fact when we think about it, when it comes to us following God and doing what God wants us to do. We too can be slow to obey. We too can do things half way. We too have a tendency to point to others who are not obeying God, as if that makes our disobedience perfectly justified. When it comes to following God and His word for our lives, we often make more excuses than we make progress. 

     We might say things like "I can't witness at work because I will lose my job" "I can't tithe because I have bills coming up that I have to pay." "I don't have enough time to pray" "I can't go to church because I am just to busy." The list of excuses that we give to God is endless. 

    You see many times the issue is not that you don't know what God and His word says. Many times the issue, if you will be honest with your self, is that you don't really want to do it. So you start looking for excuses why you can't do what you know you should do. You start trying to justify your disobedience and giving your self some sort of excuse that will some how exclude you from having to obey what you know God wants you to do.

    Then there are those moments where you know what God and His word wants you to do and you have every intention to do it. However you fail to actually do it because you get distracted and overwhelmed with some other area of your life. Like when your child fails to clean up his/her room because they were too busy playing the video game and lost track of time. Sometimes we too get distracted with the busyness of life that we fail to do what we know we should be doing. So when this happens we begin to make those excuses rather than fessing up and admitting that we failed to obey God, because we made something else more of a priority for us than our obedience to God. 

In Jesus earthly ministry there were people who came up to him with a desire to be a follower….

· They had the right desire…they had all the right intentions

And it happened as they were going in the way, one said to Him, Lord, I will follow You wherever You go. And Jesus said to him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head. And He said to another, Follow Me! But he said, Lord, first allow me to go and bury my father. Jesus said to him, Let the dead bury their dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God. And another also said, Lord, I will follow You, but first allow me to take leave of those in my house. And Jesus said to him, No one, having put his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.-  (Luk 9:57-62)

 

You see while they had all the right intentions and there goal’s were lofty. There whole heart was not in it. If they were honest with themselves and Jesus the truth is that there were other things they felt was of more value, and ranked as a higher priority then being a follower of Jesus. While they said they wanted to be a true follower of Jesus, they were not completely willing to follow Jesus in everything or everywhere Jesus would lead them. 

    Truth be told, following Jesus is not always easy. It may mean making certain sacrifices. It might lead us in areas of our lives that are not always comfortable or convenient. Being a follower of Jesus might mean we have to get out of our comfort zone and do things we either do not want to do, or do things we feel are not able to do. 

    It's in those moments that our faithfulness is challenged. When we are called to do something that we don't want to do. When it is inconvenient or difficult. It is in those moments when our obedience to Him is challenged. That is when we like our children who is asked to clean their room, we start coming up with excuses. We start coming up with excuses why we can't do what we know God wants us to do. We start to come up with excuses why are not expected to do it. We come up with excuses why what God is asking is unreasonable or why it is meant for someone else. 

However we need to just lay aside all the excuses and reasonings, and simply obey and follow Jesus instead. So save your excuses and simply submit to Gods leading and authority in your life.