Where Have All The People Gone?

 

Some people wonder why they do not have any friends. Some have blamed the invention of the air conditioner. Before A/C, people would sit on their front porches in the evening and try to catch a breeze to cool off. They would wave at neighbors and visit with the ones who stopped to chat over a glass of lemonade. With air conditioning installed, people can stay inside and don't have to interact with their neighbors.

Attaching a garage didn't help either. Instead of walking from our driveways and exchanging greetings with our neighbors, we pull in, shut the door, and we're inside our house. Fences, gated communities, and caller ID reinforced the idea that we want to be left alone. We don't have to interact with people, so we don't. 

But Jesus always had time for other people. He talked to them, fed them, healed them, and forgave them. It is interesting that at least ten times in the Gospels, Jesus was interrupted by people while He was ministering to others. Matthew 8:5-13, vs 14-15 Matthew 9:1-8 are just a few. How did He respond? He stopped what He was doing and ministered to the individual. 

Today take time to stop, listen, and talk with someone you see every day but rarely slow down to get to know. It's easy to make excuses why we don't engage with people in our daily lives. If you want friends, you must take the first step by being a friend. Proverbs 18:24 says, A man who has friends must himself be friendly.

 

Rules Are To Be Broken?

 

I am impressed with the men that compete on the TV program The World's Strongest Man. But the world's strongest man was Samson. Judges 13-16 Samson's parents were childless when God told them they would have a son and that God would use him to deliver the nation of Israel from their enemy.

His parents dedicated him to the Lord with something called "a Nazirite vow." Throughout Samson's life, he was supposed to follow three basic rules:

1. Don't drink alcohol.

2. Don't touch anything dead.

3. Don't cut your hair.

Pretty simple, right? But you know people like Samsom who say: "Rules are made to broken." Samson first got us to use his God-given strength to do some pretty cool stuff. But that wasn't good enough for him. But Samson couldn't follow the simplest of rules. He did some pretty stupid things! Just like some of us! Even when we believe God has blessed us, we can turn on Him in an instant. What causes us to choose our own way, instead of what we believe is God's best for us?

Lust makes us think, I want it." Entitlement says I want it AND I deserve it." I deserve a little payback. I'm not getting my needs met at home.

When we start listening to those whispers - we're simply justifying our lust, instead of turning our hearts toward what we know God wants. James 4:1-3

I Can Handle This

 

Samson was the strongest man who ever lived and I'm sure he was famous for his amazing feats of strength. The problem is he began to get proud and believe there wasn't anything he could not handle. At birth, his parents dedicated him to the Lord and gave him three simple rules he was to follow.

Samson wanted to marry a Philistine woman which as an Israelite he was forbidden to marry. He forced his parents to consent and what does every guy needs to get married. That's right - a bachelor party! Samson wanted to get together with his buddies to get hammered. But Samson ignored the first rule given by God for his life.

1. Don't drink alcohol.

Samson was not supposed to drink alcohol at all. But because he figured since he was strong, he could handle it. A guy might believe he's really tough, so he convinces himself that he won't suffer the same consequences as other guys.

Just one drink/puff/hit isn't going to kill me. I can handle it.

Man, I really love this car/house/boat. I can make these payments.

I know I'm not 'suppose to' look at this website/image/video. But it's just this one time.

Because he was the strongest man who had ever lived, he genuinely thought he could handle it. But the fact is: he couldn't handle it! So what makes you think you can?

"So be careful. When you think you are standing firm, you might fall" I Corinthians 10:12

"Above everything else, guard your heart. Everything you do comes from it." Proverbs 4:23

Back to Normal?

 I am sure most of you are tired of all the hassle and inconvenience brought on by the COVID19 virus. And you have probably heard people say time and again, "I can't wait for things to get to normal." But after reflecting on that statement, I wonder if we should be satisfied with 'normal." After all what was so great about 'normal?' I understand we what things to be more structured but if you stop and think, things weren't really that great.

As a Christ-follower, I want to view things from a Biblical viewpoint. Is God pleased with our world being normal? I don't think so. We have become satisfied with survival, while God wants to bring revival. God loves us too much to leave us as we are. Isaiah 43:19 God says He is doing a new thing. He desires that we grow and become more like Him. 1 John 2:6 Galatians 2:20

Yes, I want to be done with COVID 19 but I don't want to go back to things-as-they-were. I'm wanting God to do a new thing in my life. I want a new 'normal' for all of us. 

Had Enough?

 What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Ecclesiastes 1:9

Most people think that the situation they find themselves in is unique. But the above Scripture tells us that your situation is not unique. That being the case, it behooves us to learn from other people's mistakes. Romans 15:4 says, "And the Scriptures were written to teach and encourage us by giving us hope."

The Old Testament prophet Elijah can teach us a valuable lesson. He once faced 450 pagan prophets and God honored Elijah by sending fire from heaven and had the false prophets killed. But after that intense encounter, Queen Jezebel threatened to kill Elijah. Elijah was terrified of this woman and ran for his life. 1 Kings 19 Elijah had come to the end of himself!

Have you ever felt like you could not take anymore? What can we learn from Elijah's mistakes?

1. He gave into self-pity. verse 19 verse 10 Remember you are a child of the Most High God. Don't surrender to self-pity.
2. He tried to face his trial alone. verse 3 says he left his servant behind. We are part of the Body of Christ, we need to share our burdens with each other. Galatians 6:2
3. He was physically exhausted. He ran almost 100 miles to get away from Queen Jezebel and was totally gave out. Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is rest.
4. He needed proper nourishment. You cannot fight depression without the proper food. 1 Kings 19:6-9 verse 7 Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you. You need spiritual food as well as physical food.

You can overcome every situation that you face. Christ gives me the strength to face anything. Philippians 4:13.

Herd Instinct

 "You are my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, and I am your God... Ezekiel 34:31

A Boston newspaper carried the story of a Maine couple whose dogs attacked a flock of sheep of a nearby farm, killing nine sheep and injuring ten others. The sheep in that area are famous for their prize-winning wool but the dogs didn't care. They went for the throats and slaughtered the sheep at random. For days after the attack, the surviving sheep huddled together in a group. Instead of scattering across the field as they normally did, their flock instinct heightened and they circled close to one another.

According to the Bible, God's people are sheep having a strong flock instinct. We need fellowship and we often find safety in close relationships with other Christians. On dangerous days, we especially need to stay close to other Christians. Galatians 6:2, I Thessalonians 5:11

You need to be in a small group. Do you have a few close friends who protect you by their prayers and counsel? It's wonderful to pray regularly for a handful of people who God places in our lives.

Christians may not see eye to eye but they can walk arm in arm. 

Let Us Come

 The one thing I feared the most during grade school was being called into the Principal's office. I was never "called in" but I could only imagine what it would be like. Suppose you were the new guy in your office and you got word the CEO wanted to see you in his office. How would you feel? Nervous to say the least.

But the writer of Hebrews posed this scenario, how would you feel if you were to stand before God? In the future (closer than we think) we will all stand before God and give an account of our lives. Romans 14:12 But Hebrews 4:16 says So let us come boldly to the very throne of God... When people think about approaching God they often go to one of two extremes. 1] Fear. How could they approach a holy God? 2] Lack of reverence. They think they can just "waltz" right into His presence without a proper.

The answer lies between the two extremes. To come boldly means to come with confidence with the assurance that God will accept us. Not because of any righteousness we think we might possess but because of who we are in Christ. Remember God is our Father 1 John 3:1 and children do not fear to climb into their Father's lap.

A great illustration is a picture of President John K. Kennedy in the oval office. Most people would feel nervous to enter the office of the President of the United States but not his son, John Jr.

We come with reverence, yes. But we come knowing He will receive us. Hebrews 4:16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.