Devotional February 2009

I met a young man a few years ago; in his late teens, and a former devout atheist, he came to know Christ about two years ago.

Like many, he was intent on disproving the Christian perspective, and to his surprise found that the harder he tried and the more he researched, the more convinced he became that Jesus is real.

He is in the midst of a search to find a church home. He has been visiting a number of congregations and denominations, looking for the right combination of theology, worship style and a place he feels comfortable.

In his search he encountered a number of congregations he did not feel comfortable with due to a phenomenon he called the Christian Bubble. Christian Bubbles are places where the members of the congregation spend all their time at church or with other Christians. They have no desire to have anything to do with non-Christians whatsoever.

His question about these congregations was pointed, but valid, "How in the world does this type of church help tell people about Christ?"

There is a great deal of wisdom in this young man’s observations. We are called to fellowship with one another, be supportive of the body and worship together, but we are also called to take the Gospel of Jesus into the world.

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20 NIV

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" Romans 10:14-15 NIV

Perhaps it is time for some serious thought. Are you living in a Christian Bubble?

Until next time, may you follow the commands of our Lord and take His Gospel into all the world.

It seems of late there has been resurgence in the number of health, wealth and prosperity type teaching. Some very large churches are preaching a feel good, self help, no suffering type of gospel. These teachers are not preaching the message of the cross, the true gospel.

It isn't that God cannot give us health, wealth and prosperity in the material sense, for He can. It isn't that the gospel can't help us feel better, for the truth can set us free. It's just that the idea of all true believers with "enough faith" will be healthy, wealthy and happy is patently unbiblical. You have to really distort Scripture to make it say such things.

The lacking "enough faith" is their escape clause. When things don't turn out as promised (and they frequently don't) you're the problem. It's convenient because they can teach lies and when the truth comes out hide behind another lie and never take responsibility for their own teaching.

2 Timothy 4:3-4 NIV
For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths

The Scripture even calls some such teachings the "teaching of demons". I'm not accusing any teacher of being a demon, simply warning that some of what they teach may well be demonic in origin.

1 Timothy 4:1-8 NIV
The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer. If you point these things out to the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, brought up in the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come

Let's be honest here ... some degree of suffering is part of the faith walk. I know that's not an easy teaching to hear, but it's true. We suffer to grow in our faith.

1 Peter 1:3-9 NIV
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Oh how our ears long for the things of this world. We long to believe that we're not sinners and we don't need a savior. We long to believe that being wealthy and healthy is the key to all of our problems. The problem is that the things that tickle the ears don't satisfy the soul.

The only thing that can satisfy our deepest longings is to walk right with God. The only way to walk right with God is to recognize our sin and get reconciled to Him through Jesus.

Following Christ doesn't mean you will never experience the things that the world promotes as being what you want. God does heal and provides. He's quite capable of doing just that. The truth is that He does not promise us a walk with Christ without suffering.

Our trials are to make us more like Him. When we follow false teachings we are robbed of the opportunity to be more Christ like.

Until next time may you search the word of God, may you be illuminated by the Holy Spirit and follow the narrow way, remembering to be like Christ is to fellowship in His sufferings.

In the Philippines a friend had his little boy give me a high five. He isn't very old yet and I marveled at his little hands.

In contrast, years ago I met a former player in the NFL. His hands were huge. I wear a large glove, but my hands disappeared in his. The football championship rings on his fingers were nearly the diameter of the face of my watch.

An older, retired carpenter I knew has scarred hands. They are as tough as they nails he was used to pounding. His finger tips are a little flattened by being hit with a hammer a time or two too often. His hands are as strong as iron and as gentle as a kitten.

I have known ladies who quilted blankets and afghans. Many were elderly and had tiny, hands yet those quilting needles flew with incredible speed and accuracy. They made stitches neater than I could do with a machine. If it was me doing the quilting, I would have had more needle holes in my fingers than stitches in the quilt.

I know a few hands that have seen their share of hard times. Some are crippled and gnarled with the pain of arthritis. Some construction workers I know are missing parts of fingers and thumbs. The cold weather of winter has taken more than its fair share of them as well.

I know a few hands that are prosthetic as well. The owners were born without them or lost them in accidents.

As I pondered hands I thought about God's hands. How huge and powerful they must be. How small we must seem in the palm of His hand. He could crush us without any effort at all, but He doesn't. Instead He knows every detail about each of us and loves us beyond measure.

1 Peter 5:6-7 NIV
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

"O Sovereign LORD, you have begun to show to your servant your greatness and your strong hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds and mighty works you do? NIV

"The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him." NIV

His hand is more powerful than anything I can comprehend. Yet we're called to humble ourselves and He will lift us up. In times of stress, I often picture myself safe in that big, strong, loving, hand where nothing can harm me. It's a wonderful place to be. Perhaps you need to join me today and place yourself and circumstances in the hands of a mighty God who loves you so much and who always has an outstretched hand just waiting for yours.

Until next time, may you find shelter and all you have need of in the palm of His hand.

In the course of the years the word “doctrine” has somehow always been an issue. An interesting occurrence happened Monday when our volunteers went to a jail cell at the local jail; this is a jail cell we have been ministering in since 2002. There are other churches that go into what is a faith based jail cell called “God’s Pod”. This is not a pod belonging exclusively to any one church or group and so we try to avoid dividing over doctrinal issues but still speaking and teaching the whole Bible in truth and love.

Monday, our group was told we were not welcome in this cell anymore because some of the inmates said our doctrine differed from another church’s (that of the local Chaplain). I immediately placed a call and got this straightened out through the program director. This is what brought on this devotional and the red flag it should raise for all of us. There are issues to certainly divide over but yet we must be very careful of when we get so inclusive of our own rules and regulation (doctrine) that we single others out and get a self-promoting attitude to actually judge unto condemnation.

When this incident occurred I was shocked. I know that churches can be so set on being right that they lose all forms of love. Jesus chastised the Pharisees for that kind of behavior. On the other hand though, churches with no doctrine would believe nothing or perhaps better said could believe anything.

We have this concept that doctrine is somehow a bad thing. Doctrine is simply the things we believe and pass on. There can be good doctrine and bad doctrine. The inmate’s statement was doctrinal, but bad doctrine. Doctrine is almost always a divisive issue. So it is up to us to have good and sound doctrine and to be led by the Holy Spirit and Bible as to what is to be tolerated and what is not.

There is nothing wrong with sound doctrine but mention doctrine and many people will think of someone harsh, unloving and inflexible rules. Yet the Bible commands us to keep sound doctrine.

1 Timothy 4:16 NIV
Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

Titus 1:6-9 NIV
An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. Since an overseer is entrusted with God's work, he must be blameless--not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.

2 Timothy 4:1-5 NIV
In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

I could carry on with some of the many synonyms used for doctrine, but I think those few verses highlight the importance of right belief.

Sound doctrine (orthodoxy) by itself solves nothing and is not what the Lord requires of us. He also requires right living (orthopraxy).

James 1:22-25 NIV
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does.

It isn't enough to simply have "head knowledge". Yet it isn't enough to simply live right. We must do both. We must know what God's Word clearly teaches and apply it to our lives.

Doctrine can be divisive. There are areas we must divide over. There are churches that teach Jesus is not the only way. I'm afraid I cannot minister with them, my beliefs, my doctrine won't permit it.

Tomorrow, I will talk about what I believe are four forms of doctrinal areas:

I will discuss this so that we may have a better understanding of these concepts.

The areas mentioned above lay out a general ground work in each area where there are areas where we can have different doctrine that are not essentials of the faith and can still work together.

Who needs doctrine? All of us. Should doctrine always be divisive? Yes and No!

We all need sound doctrine applied judiciously with love and help of the Holy Spirit.

So until tomorrow, may your love and doctrine be right before the Lord, lead you to love not hate and draw others closer to the Lord.

We like to tell ourselves that we are bold warriors for Christ and that we have given our lives over to Him. We like to tell ourselves that He is the Lord of our life.

What happens when the call goes out for workers for the harvest? We suddenly seem to lose our enthusiasm and find reasons why it can’t be us.

It reminds me of Moses standing on the mountaintop in front of the burning bush (take a moment and re-read the story, I‘m just going to include a few highlights).

When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, "Moses! Moses!" And Moses said, "Here I am." Exodus 3:4 NIV

But Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" And God said, "I will be with you. Exodus 3:11-12a

Moses answered, "What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, `The LORD did not appear to you'?" Exodus 4:1 NIV

Moses said to the LORD, "O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue." Exodus 4:10

But Moses said, "O Lord, please send someone else to do it." Exodus 4:13 NIV

Moses didn’t want to go. Jonah didn’t want to go and many others didn‘t want to go. They felt inadequate, unprepared or just plain rebellious and lazy. Each had what they considered a valid reason to not go even though God Himself had chosen them.

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me! Isaiah 6:8 NIV

He will never call you unless He knows you are the right person for the job. Next time He calls, instead of finding an excuse to say no, step out in faith and ask Him to guide you.

Until next time, "May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen." Hebrews 13:20-21 NIV

Having just gotten back from the Philippines a couple of weeks ago, we as a ministry are, praying, discussing and laying out a vision and goals for this year. As we discuss and pray seeking the Lord for direction a few new things have come up as well as a continuation of goals and projects from last year.

Part of the discussion is how as a ministry we can have more community impact and also reach out to link the resources of other ministries and churches in our area. We have some concepts that we believe will enable us to do that and be a blessing to the community. The details aren't fully articulated yet so for the time being, I'll just leave it at that.

Every year is a process of following the different steps towards the goal that God has placed in front of us. At times, we aren't certain where He is leading other than "out" to something new.

It's been both exhilarating and challenging to follow God along to each destination we weren’t certain of. Each step of the way we've said yes, although sometimes with more excitement than others and seeking a new vision is tremendously exciting for us.

We don't have the logistical details for the new vision all figured out yet, but we're trusting in God to guide the way.

While I certainly wouldn't call myself an Abraham, I have a taste of what it must have been like when God called him to leave his home and go out to parts unknown. At the time of the calling, Abraham was still known as Abram.

The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. Genesis 12:1 NIV

"I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." Genesis 12:2-3 NIV

God hasn't given us promises of big blessings. In fact He hasn't promised us anything at all, except the satisfaction that comes from being obedient to what He calls us to do.

Obedience to God is far more important to us than pleasing people. Of course in an ideal situation we could make everyone happy and serve God at the same time, but that isn't reality. So we've made the choice to do as Joshua did

Is God calling you out to do something? Is there a ministry He has laid on your heart? Trust Him and follow.

He doesn't promise success, as the world understands success but nothing done in His name and under His authority is ever wasted. You might have success beyond your wildest dreams. You might have a season of ministry that passes in time. You might have a ministry that didn't seem to work. No matter what the outcome of the venture, if you done it in obedience to God, there will be benefits for eternity. If He's calling you, He has a reason of great importance.

There is a lot of talk these days about the so called "emergent church" movement. Like any movement it has few clearly defined boundaries and even its followers would disagree about defining it. Like any movement there is good and bad associated with it.

I find much of the theology that seems to be taught by many of the so called leaders of this movement to be questionable at best. Yet, the emergent church does have something to say. It's really nothing new, and is only emergent in the sense that it is another wave, but there is something they hold dear that we need to consider.

Despite its questionable theology in places, the emergent church seems to have recognized that the church is not effectively engaging our world. For too long now, too many Christians have been content to sit in our little churches (or even our big churches), tut-tut about the state of the world and wonder why people aren't coming into our gatherings to "get saved".

We have forgotten the Great Commission or at least have relegated it to some form of liturgy that all Christians know but few actually pay attention to. Jesus was very specific in his direction...

Matthew 28:18-20 NIV
Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

He did not tell us "Sit in your pews and hope someone shows up". The command was to go (and keep going) until the task was finished.

We need to be living lives that reflect the difference that Christ made. We need to be loving our neighbors and heaven-forbid interacting with non-Christians. We need to be salt and light in a dark and hurting world.

We need to stand for the truth in a murky world. We need to hold firm to what we believe and be willing to defend it even as we accept the rights of others to reject Jesus.

Now, I know that we all know these things, but, in most cases we're not very good at doing them. They might be "emergent" but they are at least as old as the gospel.

The emergent church says we must be more missional in our approach and less institutional. That's true but it's not news. Jesus didn't tell us to go build large organizations and have fancy buildings. There is nothing wrong with good organizations and having buildings but they must be tools to support the work of the kingdom not the center of our focus.

Christians worry about the color of the carpets or the style of music when all around us people are going to hell. We wonder why our culture is degrading but we don't engage it with truth. There is something inherently wrong with the picture of the church as it exists when compared to the vision Christ gave us.

Now don't misunderstand me. I'm not against the church; I love her. I don't think that organized religion (if we can call it that) is dead or without merit. I simply believe that we often get our priorities wrong.

I truly believe that most Christians have a love for Jesus and a desire to see the lost found but we have gotten a little off track. I believe that if we started to actually do the things that Christ commanded us, things like...

Matthew 22:37b-40 NIV
“`Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: `Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

we'd see a revival the likes of which has never been seen. God's church is a slumbering giant. When the giant rubs the sleep from its eyes and does what Jesus calls it to do even the very gates of hell will not prevail.

It's time my friends. It's time to go out and preach the truth at all costs.

When Mordecai learned all that had happened, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city. He cried out with a loud and bitter cry. He went as far as the front of the king's gate, for no one might enter the king's gate clothed with sackcloth. So Esther's maids and eunuchs came and told her, and the queen was deeply distressed. Then she sent garments to clothe Mordecai and take his sackcloth away from him, but he would not accept them. Esther 4:1-2, 4

Sometimes our circumstances stack up against us, and we become weary and tired. Weary of fighting and just plain tired with seemingly no energy to fight anymore. The enemy certainly has no sympathy for us, and finds this a prime time to attack us and kick us while we’re down hoping to take us out. He’d like to steal all hope from us, and persuade us to believe that God has forgotten us. This couldn’t be farther from the truth.

In our Esther scripture, notice that Mordecai was totally distressed. He had just heard the news that a law which could not be revoked stated that in eleven months, all Jews would be killed-destroyed-totally annihilated. He had good reason to be distressed. However, notice new garments were sent to him from within the kings gates, so his sackcloth could be taken away, but he refused them.

We do that sometimes. We are so caught up in our sorrows; we only go as far as the Lord’s gate. See, Psalm 100:4 tells us to “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise.”

We can’t enter into His presence in distress. For in His presence is fullness of joy! (Psalm 16:11) If we will take our eyes off our sorrows and accept the change of garments He offers, we will see Him. That alone will give us reason to praise! As we begin to enter His gates with thanksgiving for who He is and what He has done for us, we will continue into His courts with praise.

Then our mourning will be replaced with great joy and next to Him our circumstances will look small. We will regain the proper perspective that nothing happens without His knowledge. He will give us the victory. He alone delivers us from our enemies. He heals all our diseases. Even if He doesn’t remove the circumstances, His grace is sufficient, and He will walk with us through the fire. We will come out without the smell of smoke!

Can you picture a toddler dawdling and giggling along just for the sake of going--really having no destination in mind? Right behind him is a parent ready to scoop him up and turn him in a different direction entirely, so he doesn’t get out of safety’s reach. There are times in our lives where we were happily heading in one direction, and life seems to knock us off our feet causing us to face another direction. Sometimes it comes in the form of a crisis. Maybe it is our own personal crisis or someone else’s crisis that directly affects our life. Nevertheless we find ourselves in a crisis that has stopped our world not knowing which way we will be facing when our feet hit the ground again.

Psalm 40:1-3 says, “I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth—Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the LORD.”

I’m glad to know that no matter what life throws my way, my God sets my feet on solid ground and establishes my steps! No matter why I find myself in sinking sand, if I call on Him, He hears me. He can take me out of any situation of pain and suffering and pull me out, dust me off, and set me in the right direction again. I must simply call on Him and trust Him.

God cares about the things that trouble us. If we love the Lord, he will not allow the enemy to destroy us. He will lift us up and deliver us—even when deliverance comes by standing in the fire with us.

Psalm 31:7-9 says, “I will be glad and rejoice in Your mercy, For You have considered my trouble; You have known my soul in adversities, And have not shut me up into the hand of the enemy; You have set my feet in a wide place.” Remember, God is the one who gave you salvation, and He will not abandon you. Philippians 1:6 reminds us that “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” God doesn’t leave His work unfinished!

The more we see God as faithful, trustworthy, and true, the more sure our footing becomes. Psalms 18 was written by someone who had been delivered before. He knew who his deliverer was and the strength that comes from trusting God. Read Psalms 18:29, 31-34: For by You I can run against a troop, By my God I can leap over a wall. For who is God, except the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God? It is God who arms me with strength, And makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of deer, And sets me on my high places. He teaches my hands to make war, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

The author of Psalms 18 knew that the strength that comes from God can allow one to face whatever is before him. What may seem like a giant can come crashing down with five rocks and a sling. What seems like a wall can come crashing down with a shout! It is God who picks us up and trains us for war against the enemy by setting our feet on the Rock—Jesus Christ our firm foundation.

If you’ve been scooped up, God will set you down singing a new song and have you moving in a new direction better armed for the next trial you face. Trust the One who holds you in His arms!

Something I've noticed in my faith walk, that happens to Christians, including myself, is a period of spiritual dryness. It can be caused by several reasons, stresses from the outside or a thousand other factors.

For myself, I notice it when I read the Bible primarily as an intellectual exercise or to deepen my theology or a myriad of other reasons but forget to open my heart and let God's Word speak directly to my heart and not just my mind.

For other’s it happens when they are so busy "doing" Christian things or being "religious" that they lose their focus on Christ.

Revelation 2:4 NIV
Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.

I doubt very much that the church in Ephesus intended to drift. If we read the first three verses of Revelation 2 we find that God actually commends them for much of what they were doing. They didn't simply stop doing; they however allow the eyes of their heart to close.

The Apostle Paul tells the church in Ephesus that He is praying for them. Since the book of Revelation was written after the letter to the Ephesian church we can assume that cold hearts was a problem that was entrenched early.

Ephesians 1:15-23 NIV
For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

Notice that central to Paul's prayer is "that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened". Now of course he isn't suggesting that our physical heart somehow see, rather that our spirit be opened to the things of the spirit. We always have to choice to have our spiritual eyes open or keep them closed. Apparently the Ephesians chose to keep them closed which should stand as a warning to all of us.

Are you walking in a dry and desert place? Ask God to reopen the eyes of your heart.

There is a praise chorus from a few years back by Michael W Smith that sings of this very matter;

“Open the eyes of my heart, Lord
Open the eyes of my heart
I want to see You
I want to see You”,

What believer doesn't want to "see" God and to know His will? What believer doesn't desire a closer more intimate relationship with Jesus? What believer doesn't want to walk along the well watered paths and green pastures of the Father, Son and Spirit?

I think we all long for those things especially when we're in the desert places.

I started the car and headed out of the driveway. I used the debit card to pay for my groceries. I picked up the telephone to make a call. I turned on the stove to heat supper. What do all these things have in common (other than it was me doing them)?

Got it yet? Let’s try these events then. I sat in my chair. On my last trip to the Philippines I took a plane. I flicked the light switch on. I set my alarm at bedtime.

How about now? If you haven't recognized the common thread in these seemingly ordinary, everyday events, it's faith.

What do these things have to do with faith? Whether we recognize it or not, we all have faith in something. I had faith that I could drive the car safely. Faith that there was money in the account to pay for the groceries. Faith that the telephone and stove would work. I had faith that the chair wouldn't collapse, that the pilot knew what he was doing and that the switch enabled the electricity to flow. Faith that the alarm would go off on time and that I would be alive to hear it.

Perhaps you never thought of these sorts of things are requiring faith but they do. Would you willingly get into a plane where the pilot didn't know how to fly? Sit in a chair that you knew had a broken leg? Probably not.

Faith is in integral part of everyday life. Now, I'll admit that the faith that these sorts of things will work is in many ways a small faith that requires little or no thought.

There is a faith that is of the utmost importance. When it comes to life and death, if you're reading this, you're alive but at some point in the future you will be dead. The object of our faith in things for life and death makes a big difference.

Some people feel that they just cease to exist when they die. They're basing their whole eternity on faith in their correctness. If they're wrong they have a big problem. The Bible says we all face God after our life.

And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. Revelation 21:12 NIV

Some people have put their faith for eternity in being nice and doing good things. Scripture tells us that none of us qualifies as being good.

Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good--except God alone Mark 10:18 NIV

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6 NIV

The only faith that will cut it when the bell rings for the end of life is a saving faith in Jesus Christ.

Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." John 6:35-40 NIV

I know you have faith in something in fact you have faith in many things without even thinking or knowing you had faith in it.

Until next time, may your faith for eternity be conscious, willful, and be grounded in submission to the Risen Lord, Jesus Christ.

For many years I kept aquariums of various sizes. Some of the fish in the tank were born in the aquarium and will live out their lives and die there. It is the entire universe for them. Other than a giant shape outside the tank that mysteriously feeds them when the tank lid is opened or occasionally reaches in and does a water change, their existence is combined to the inside of the aquarium.

Now bear with me as I move into the realm of fancy for a bit. Let's pretend the fish think like people and step into their minds.

The scientist fish. "The universe is exactly three years old. I've examined all the evidence and that's when the world most definitely began." "There is a natural cycle of water change. Every two weeks, the universe changes by 1/3 naturally." "Sure there have been strange reports of mysterious beings outside our universe, but there is no scientific proofed that they exist so I must discount such reports."

The "faith filled fish". "There must be something beyond what we can see. Where did all the things come from that enabled the universe to start three years ago? They must have come from something." "Our food is mysteriously provided by something outside of our universe, surely that suggests there is a caring god out there."

I could go on and make similar fanciful analogies. We're not all that much different from the fish. Even though they don't think like people, all they "know" is what is within the walls of their little corner of the universe. All we "know" is what is in the little bit of the universe we can experience. We can't even explain how it works fully or how it started.

I'm going to make some very general statements. There are of course exceptions to what I'm about to talk about. The scientist often says there is no God, but when push comes to shove, they will often admit that the universe appears to have an intelligent design although they generally won't use the word god. They can talk about the "big bang" but they will admit that it defies the laws of thermodynamics and can't explain where the material came from for the "bang".

The world of science isn't our enemy. It is an excellent tool for understanding the mechanics of how things work.

It isn't the be all and end all. Science isn't God. It is an incredibly unreliable tool for determining answers to the why questions. Today's scientific "fact" is tomorrow’s disproved theory. It is also a faith. Much science begins with certain assumptions and parameters that cannot be proven and builds from there. They take by faith that things are as the theory says they are.

My point? We need not fear science, but we must also compare it to what Scripture says. Our faith is in God, theirs in mysterious unknowns and theorems. Where science matches up with Scripture it's worth embracing whole-heartedly, within the limits I've discussed. Where it deviates, we need to hold fast to Scripture.

My faith is in a personal, loving God. The scientist’s faith is in a mysterious impersonal "intelligent designer" or in the talents of a theorist. I'll take my God over that anytime.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
Proverbs 1:7 NIV

Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who embrace her; those who lay hold of her will be blessed.
Proverbs 3:13-18 NIV

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.
Psalm 111:10 NIV

And he said to man, The fear of the Lord--that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.'
Job 28:28 NIV

Don't be fooled by the limits of the fish tank walls. Embrace the tenants of science that hold up under the light of the Word, but always remember the true source of wisdom

Here is a reader’s reply on the devotional from February 18, 2009. The original devotional is below so that you may have reference to it. Thanks for the feedback and insight…Darrel

I also saw another correlation between all those things---they are also all things that we perhaps take for granted…those ‘everyday miracles’ those ‘everyday blessings’ that we forget sometimes to be thankful for:

I once had a friend tell me that one of the things he had learned from going on short-term missionary trips was that we are spoiled…everything is so convenient—a church on every corner, a store on every block, a restaurant at every turn, etc. In fact, he thought that perhaps all that convenience robs us of blessings and weakens our faith.

I’ve heard several people say that they probably couldn’t think of 10 things to be thankful for…I beg to differ with them on that point. We may not always want what we have or have what we want at that particular moment in life, but if we start with saying “Thank you, Lord” for just one thing—just one—then it snowballs and you start thinking of thing after thing to be thankful for (at least that’s how it works for me.) You see, being someone who battles depression/anxiety, this is an exercise that I put to work…the first time I did it, I started by just looking at the sky and saying “thank You, Lord, for the beautiful blue sky”…then I noticed the outline of the mountains, then the trees, then the birds in the trees….before I knew it, I had tears running down my face as I thanked God—and I felt humbled and somewhat ashamed that I could ever think I didn’t have something to be thankful for.

If we stop and think about it, we all have innumerable things to be thankful for every single day.

All of us have at one time or another questioned why God doesn’t perform spectacular miracles in this day and time…Well, He does! Have you seen a sunset lately? Have you been able to hear the birds sing and see the mountains and smell the fresh air?

And, again, it all goes back to FAITH…perhaps He cannot enter in because of our unbelief….