Nearly every morning “Pooch” stops by our door for his daily dose of protein from the neighbors, namely me ! Yep, Pooch is a dog owned by our neighbors and knows I’m a soft touch.  But he’s a good ole boy. So I grab a piece of bologna or some other meaty thing and he takes his treasure on his way (unless he inhales it first).  Can you blame him, he’s a dog with a penchant for meat  and I’m a sucker for a sad canine face with hungry eyes !  So it makes for a morning meat meet !!

In a way, shouldn’t we all kinda be like Pooch? In the sense that we desire to know God better and know His Word more? Peter thought so when he wrote, “As newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the Word. . .” (1Pt.2:2). Peter came to crave what God’s Word said as he grew in his faith. We let other things crowd out that morning stop sometimes. Busyness, routines, people, events all keep us from coming to see the Lord and seeing what He can feed us in the Bible each day.   Well Peter said we should, just like a baby wants milk, come to the Scriptures and read them regularly. But why when I have this to do or that to do, why when i have tried and find them hard to understand? Or when I’ve read it before? Peter said we should so that we can GROW is how the rest of that verse goes !  

You may be an adult or an adult in your elder years but there’s always room for growth with God. I can be more honest, more loving, less bitter, less complaining. In short, I can be more Christlike and can start to be so as I spend time with Him in His Word.  Find the time today to stop over for some spiritual meat and don’t complicate the time, pick up the Bible and read a chapter slowly, asking before you do for God to enlighten your understanding of what you are about to read and for things to see and apply in your own life.  You’ll be surprised how it can fill your soul and make the day a better and more spiritually substantive, “meaty” day !

 

Happy Valley hosts art festivals every time this year and though I’m not an artsy guy it is interesting to look at how talented and how unique some of the art is. Within the hundreds of booths there are hundreds of different ways to express talent. And whether or not an artist is a Christian or an atheist, he or she has been given an ability to produce something extraordinary.  So it is with God yet much more so !  David mentioned in Ps.19:1, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth His handywork”.

Those artists may paint a picture but God a sunset. They may sculpt an exquisite pose but He a rugged mountain or meandering stream.   His handiwork calls to mind something that is wise to think on often, namely how He can take a totally messed up life and transform it to one that makes an impact for good.  Consider a few examples in Naomi. Circumstances left her bitter so she renamed herself Mara (meaning just that: “Bitter”) but when she saw the hand of God care for her through Ruth she became sweet Naomi again (meaning “my delight”).   How about the junk Joseph experienced?  His spiritual artistry was crafted for one because he understood that what others meant for evil against him, God used for great good (Gen.50:20). And finally the great apostle Paul.  From a young, religiously zealous Pharisee who persecuted Christians en masse to a church planting juggernaut, he has all the markings of a person who once submitted (the KEY) to the Savior turned a world upside down for great good !   Art festival indeed !!

So what about your life?  Sure you can look around at times and see paint splattered where it shouldn’t be, or a lump of clay yet unmolded.  Have you made a mess and dont know where to start?  Submit yourself to the Master and watch Him work His handiwork in YOU today !    Get out to His house, listen to His Word carefully, apply it faithfully, God is about to paint an awesome picture !

On the way to church last night Nancy & I had an interesting distraction.  Several tiny baby ducks were at the edge of a very busy highway and they were incredibly perplexed. The noise level of oncoming traffic, the sudden swoosh of tractor trailers going by just inches from their tiny fuzzy bodies, and the inability to see Mom all led to their confused and dazed reactions to everything in their new little world. So what could I do but swing the car around and get them to higher and safer ground.  I’m sure the people whizzing by thought what is this guy doing?  I know the ducklings were frightened by the sight of all of a sudden now a man appearing out of a car running towards them to get them out of harm’s way. “Sheeish, who’s the dude waving his arms at us now?  Lord, help us !!!”

Life has a lot of lessons and reminders for us doesn’t it?  Sometimes we’re a bit like those little guys.  We start to wander off God’s safe path wanting to test other waters, we see someone that maybe God has burdened their heart to help us and we turn on the messenger or avoid him altogether not understanding in our confusion that the Lord may just be trying to use him or her to help us.  And like those little feathered friends we get to such a place because we have simply lost sight of the One Who truly loves us and can nurture us.   The writer of Hebrews comes to mind here when he penned, “. . .let us lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith. . .” (Heb.12:1,2).

Is there some sin you need to lay aside TODAY? Does the race look a bit overwhelming righ now? Look at the Lord, focus on Him – not others, not even yourself.   He’s looking out for you even when you don’t see Him, and in light of that keep looking to Him !   Don’t “quack” up on life’s road (sorry, couldn’t resist), mount up with wings as eagles and soar !!

A Dad suggested the family get him a gift for his birthday that the whole family could get something out of, so they bought him a wallet !     A man admitted to his pastor that his wife hadn’t spoken to him since Christmas. She told her husband when he asked her what she wanted for Christmas to just surprise her. So at 3 a.m. on Christmas morning he leaned over and went “BOO !”    A preacher was proud of his brand new “loose leaf” Bible, so he decided to bring it to the pulpit to preach out of in his series on Genesis. As he began to read to the church about the story of the fall he read “And Adam said to Eve. . .”  Then he turned to page to complete the verse but looked puzzled for a few seconds. Finally realizing what had happened, he looked up rather embarrassed and said, “. . . It looks like a leaf is missing !”

OK, I did three jokes in case two went over your head or seemed too dry hoping by three strikes I wouldnt be out ! :).  So what’s my point?  Laughter !   Some ponder, does God have a sense of humor? Surely the answer is a resounding “Yes !” Ever see a platypus? Or ever look in a . . . nevermind !  You get the picture. I hope !    Anyway, certainly God does have a sense of humor for one of the first fruits of the Spirit mentioned in the list in Galatians is “JOY !!!” It comes right after Love. But you must understand this is not a contrived or manufactured joy as created in a moment or two after a funny joke but a genuinely happy emotion and byproduct of being in right relationship with the Lord.

W.C. Fields was a comic of note in the previous century. He said “Smile first thing in the morning and get it over with”.  Though that might make for a little chuckle in a moment it’s not what God intends for His children. True joy is intended to be as lasting as your walk with God.  You may be thinking, especially if you are out there working today, “hey pastor thats fine for you but its tough to soar with eagles when you work with turkeys !”   Well remember that true joy is not governed by own’s situation. True joy will come when you are really in step with Christ and will be there even when life gets hard today.  Oh you may not always feel like a belly laugh but despite life’s disappointments there is this spiritual joy that God will grant because you know He makes life come out ok.    That word joy in Gal.5:22 comes from a word that speaks of grace. Grace is what is tapped into when you simply decided to let God govern you today !  So let Him, and laugh today, its good for you and looks a lot more Christlike than a frown !!

Have you ever had someone say to you “Grow up !”   Our neighbors love fireworks and once in a great while I shoot off a few myself.  On the fourth of July I did and my neighbor playfully shouted over, “Hey, grow up !”  Simeon the Stylite was a fifth century monk who had the idea that if he sat atop a pole he would be able to remove himself from the world and its connections and thus achieve holiness. Sitting atop his isolated & lofty perch, young men would bring him food each day. He had a small platform on which to lay and this he did for 39 years and there he died !  Clearly, he had the wrong idea.  We’re to be IN the world not OF it !

Sometimes we are like Simeon though. We have the wrong idea of how to be holy. Sometimes we’re not even sure how to get there or if we really want to.  So we extract ourself from others so they won’t see our “skeletons”. Or we look at others who we consider growing Christians and avoid interaction with them, the very people we need to learn from and be near to encourage more growth in us ! We may perceive we’re not growing or not as well as someone else. So dont stay there and withdraw, draw close to Christ and those who are growing ! Paul wrote to the Thessalonian and Corinthian believers to be followers of him but in 1Cor.11:1 he clarified what he truly meant when he said “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ !”  That’s the real key, to follow Christ.  

So each day I spend time with Him in His Word, I obey it through the day, I prayerfully ask for His strength and stay in fellowship with Him (which means keeping myself unspotted from the world – confessing sin when I mess up). Stay in the battle  !  Keep growing for the Lord and realize that part of that is not “separating” from others as some extreme ascetic. Enjoy & get to know your brothers and sisters in Christ, they can play a key role in your own growth and you in there’s !