Are You Listening?
Just a Meadow Minute
I’ve always loved timepieces. I am fascinated by them. In fact, I have the kit for a wooden Da Vinci cut-out clock I just can’t seem to get around to putting together. Maybe someday…when I have more spare time on my hands. (Pun intended.) I also have the gold pocket watch that was carried by my Great Grandfather, Albanus Heath. And though I have tried various clock shops, I have been unable to find anyone capable of replacing the very rare, broken crystal, and restoring the watch back to keeping accurate time. Sometimes that heirloom pocket watch ticks, and sometimes it doesn’t. Which brings me to this Meadow Minute, and a story I once heard about a renowned clockmaker.
The old man lived in a very small town, much like Meadow, yet he was known far and wide for fixing even the most stubborn, silent clocks. People came to him from miles around bringing him everything—from antique grandfather clocks to little travel alarms. The unassuming clockmaker rarely said much, but he always listened. Literally.
As the story goes, a curious young girl once asked him, “How do you know what’s wrong with the clocks?”
The old clockmaker smiled a wise smile and said knowingly, “I listen for what’s missing. Every clock, new or worn, large or little, is supposed to have a rhythm. When I hear what’s missing, I know what needs fixing.”
In many ways, God is the Master Clockmaker. He knows the rhythm of your heart and soul. And when, for whatever reason, your spiritual life loses its tick—when you stop listening, when you’re too distracted to notice the signs—He’s still listening for you. Your Heavenly Father is always ready to repair what’s offbeat. And He is still speaking if you’ll be still enough, long enough, to hear.
In last Sunday morning’s passage, Matthew 16:1-4, the Pharisees tested Jesus. They demanded to see a sign. But He answered and said to them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ And in the morning, ‘There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times?” The logic of the Lord’s response to these supposed learned men was unassailable. Jesus wasn’t just criticizing the Pharisees for missing the signs already given them, though there had been many. After all, how could they have missed His feeding thousands with a kid’s lunch? They didn’t remember the once blind that could now see. Did they fail to connect how the once lame who could now walk. Even the once dead, Jesus had raised. They missed the Messiah standing right in front of them. Still, Jesus was inviting them (and us) to tune our ears, open our eyes, and return to the rhythm of God’s voice.
Do you hear God’s rhythm in your life—or are you letting the noise of the world drown Him out? Are you out of sync with the Lord? Have you become oblivious to His blessings showered on you, while ungratefully demanding a sign that He’s still there? Are the voices of the world around you so loud that you can no longer hear the still, small voice of the Spirit, guiding and comforting you through struggles and times of grief? Have you missed His quiet, tender presence, too busy looking for a way through the storms of your life? Jesus knows what makes you tick. He knows what’s missing in your life, what needs fixing. His Word, His truth, can help you find the rhythm.
The Lord is still speaking. Are you listening?
Grace,
Tom
Meadow Minute Archives
Previous ten articles of the Meadow Minute can be located by date and content.
Last Friday morning just after 9:00 a.m., we launched the FBC church van from the front lot with six students and two sponsors on their way to Fuge Youth Camp at Glorietta, NM. The expense of going to Glorietta has continued to climb each year. It costs several hundred dollars per student to go to Fuge, but any of us who have been to Glorietta will attest…there’s no place like it! This last spring, along with the Annual Church-Wide Dessert Auction, most of these young people also took part in earning their way to camp through service to others. These students recognized the opportunity to go as worth the effort to put some “skin in the game.” As a church, we should all be very proud of them and their families who have encouraged them and supported them in getting to camp. In a day when much is said about how entitled young people think they are, it is uplifting and heart-warming to see youth such as these step up and earn a large part of their own way to Glorietta. May God bless each of them with a Spirt-filled, life-altering week.
God’s Word continually highlights the importance of supporting and nurturing our youth. Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go. Even when he is old he will not depart from it.”
Passages emphasize that children are a gift from God, a heritage to be treasured, and that young people should be taught and encouraged to live a life pleasing to God. Ecclesiastes 12:1 says, “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth…”
Other verses of Scripture encourage the youth themselves to be strong in faith and to set an example as a team.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 says, “Therefore encourage one another, and build up one another, just as you also are doing.”
Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”
The Bible doesn’t pull any punches, and our youth are stronger than we often give them credit for. It’s time to shoot straight with them about the things God expects.
1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it.”
2 Timothy 2:22 says, “So flee from youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.”
Ephesians 4:29 says, “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear.”
Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do no lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
Those like our young people at camp warrant our prayers, our support, our example of faithfulness to God’s House and His purposes. As important and memorable as the mountaintop experience of camp can be, the Christian Walk most often is in the valleys and flatlands of daily living. Let’s do all we can as a church to encourage them in Bible Study. Let’s include them in fellowships and opportunities of service in using the gifts God has bestowed on them for His glory. Make it a part of your prayer life to lift these students and those who so faithfully work with them to the Throne of Grace, that God might grow His kingdom His way and to His good pleasure.
Grace,
Tom
Though many of us have before heard the account of Horatio Spafford’s circumstances in writing this favorite hymn, it bears repeating once more.
Spafford suffered financial disaster in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. He and his wife were still grieving over the death of their son just before the fire and they both longed for a chance to get away. Hearing that their friend, Dwight L. Moody, was going to be preaching in evangelistic campaigns in England, Spafford planned a trip for his entire family to England. His wife and four daughters went ahead on the SS Ville du Havre, and he was to follow them in a few days.
Out on the Atlantic the ship was struck by an iron sailing vessel and sank within twelve minutes, causing the death of 226 people including all four of the Spafford’s daughters. After being rescued and finally reaching shore, Mrs. Spafford cabled her husband with just two words, “Saved alone.”
Spafford booked passage on the next ship. Crossing the Atlantic, he was told by the captain where it was thought the Ville du Havre had gone down. That night, Spafford penned the words, “When sorrows like sea billows roll…it is well, it is well, with my soul.” Sing these words in your heart…
When peace like a river attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea-billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
“It is well, it is well with my soul.”
It is well with my soul,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, tho’ trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
My sin—O, the bliss of this glorious thought,
My sin—not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
And, Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll,
The trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend,
“Even so”—it is well with my soul.
Oh, to have faith like Horatio Spafford! To know, “whatever my lot,” that still, “Christ has regarded my helpless estate.” And while the enemy “should buffet” and certainly in this life, “trials should come,” I remain redeemed because my Savior “has shed His own blood for my soul.” We all should long to live in the assurance and hope that there will be a day when our “faith shall be sight.” Scripture tells me to “look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.” I long for the day when, “the clouds be rolled back as a scroll, the trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend.” Glory!
Romans 5:2b-4 says, “We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”
Grace,
Tom
Each year, just like in countless other places around our world, many people gather at the Meadow Cemetery on Memorial Day to acknowledge the sacrifice of more than 140 soldiers interred there, who died in battle or once served their country in the various branches of the military. It is a reverent place and a special time of remembrance.
Last winter, during December and January, was the 80th Anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge. Every year during Memorial Day events, I think of my dad’s older brother, Leslie A. Heath, Jr. (Uncle Les). Les was one of 19,000 American soldiers who died during that last major German offensive in the forests between Belgium and Luxembourg during the Second World War. Though a ministerial student with deferment, Uncle Les chose instead to enlist. He fought as a member of the tank infantry during that harsh and merciless winter. Les’ wound should not have killed him. But Les’ commander, General George Patton, advanced so quickly that supply lines for medical supplies could not keep up, and Les died as a result.
My grandad, for whom Les was named, never understood why his son would “run to the sound of the battle.” When Grandad refused the offer to bring his son’s body home, Uncle Les was buried in Europe at the Luxembourg American Cemetery. Interestingly, that is the same cemetery where General Patton chose to be buried alongside his fallen men. Grandad first refused the Purple Heart given posthumously to Les. When the medal was finally sent to him, Grandad gave it to my father, still just a young boy at the time, as a “trinket of war.”
Uncle Les’ sacrifice inspired my father, CM/Sgt James B. Heath, who is himself now in glory, to give 34 years to his country, serving in the USAF. I now have Uncle Les’ Purple Heart with me, as it hangs in the Pastor’s Office at FBC, Meadow. And I possess something else my father gave me before his death. Dad gave me an engraving of a quote by John Stuart Mill, that I cherish and proudly display in Dad’s and Les’ honor.
“War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things; the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing he cares about more than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature who has no chance of being free, unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.”
Christians should be people seeking peace, following the example of our Prince, Jesus. He alone is Lord of all. And Christians can serve honorably and justly in military service…seeking peace. Like millions of others who love this country, and feeling blessed by God to be a citizen of America, I believe in what is known as the Principles of Just War. There are limits on what conduct is allowable within the act of war. That includes submitting to the governing authorities as Paul wrote, in preserving peace through strength. May God bless our memories of the fallen who “gave their last full measure of devotion” in preserving the liberty and freedom, including religious freedom, we so cherish. I pray we honor the price they paid by acknowledging the sacrifice of our Lord to die in our place, “that we might be called the children of God.”
Psalm 62:5 says, “Thou hast given me the inheritance of those who fear Thy name.”
Yes, I believe in outward expressions of respect for our Country. I stand, hand over heart for the pledge, and I sing at the playing of the Star-Spangled Banner (usually with tears in my eyes). I do it in reverence and remembrance to the God of my fathers for the undeserved blessings He has granted to me.
Grace,
Tom
Put on your thinking caps, and let’s play a game. Our category today is Bible Trivia. Please make sure your answers are in the form of a question. Ready for Single Jeopardy? “In the beginning, God…” (Jeopardy music plays) Next, Double Jeopardy. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word, was God.” (More Jeopardy music plays) Now for Final Jeopardy. Besides the Triune God, the Bible says this female was at the beginning before Creation. Again, please be sure your answer is in the form of a question. (Jeopardy music plays to fade.)
How did you do? The initial answer should be, “What are the first four words of the Bible?” I’ll wager you got that. Next, “What is the first verse of the Gospel of John?” I’m thinking most reading this got that correct, too. Now, apart from God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, this female “master workman” was at the Creation. The correct answer is, “Who is Wisdom?”
In Proverbs 8:22-31, Wisdom says, “The Lord possessed me at the beginning of His way, before His works of old, from everlasting I was established, from the beginning, from the earliest times of the earth. When there were no depths…when there were no springs…before the mountains were settled, before the hills, I was brought forth…when He established the heavens, I was there…when He made the skies above…when He set for the sea its boundary…when He marked out the foundations of the earth, I was beside Him as a master workman, and I was daily His delight.”
Wisdom has been with God since before time began.
King Solomon, who the Bible says became the wisest man ever, sought understanding from God rather than wealth and victory over his enemies. That in itself was a wise choice that pleased God so much that the Lord not only granted Solomon’s desire for wisdom, but granted also what Solomon didn’t ask for. King Solomon’s kingdom was the richest, most prosperous, most peaceful reign known to man.
We often limit God by the things we ask of Him. Rashly, we think no further than, “God, fix this!” Or, if we’re not careful, we lessen Him to our spiritual genie with every prayer beginning with, “God, I need…” Certainly, there have been times in my life when the only prayer from my lips has been, “God, help!” Sometimes, my prayer is nothing more than, “Please God, restore in me…” Such prayers are valid and heard from our loving Savior. I am not discounting simple, heart-felt, straightforward conversations with God. But according to His Word, we are counting Him short when we fail to ask for wisdom. Wisdom has been with God since the beginning. That means Wisdom probably has the answer for what God desires from His creation. Wisdom is a gift from God that can erase the self-imposed messes we get ourselves into before needing to say, “God, fix this!” or “God, get me out of this!” His wisdom granted to us can help us see the way to filling needs—not just our needs, but also the needs of others. His wisdom, in us, becomes discernment against temptation, patience against retribution, hope against desperation.
So, through this entire Meadow Minute you’ve been asking yourself, “Why does Tom refer to Wisdom as a female?” Hey, I’m just going by what the Bible says. In Proverbs 2, Solomon pleas with his sons to “get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them. Do not forsake wisdom, and SHE will protect you; love HER and SHE will watch over you. Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding, esteem HER, and SHE will honor you,. SHE will set a garland of grace on your head, and present you with a crown of splendor.” Okay, Wisdom is an "it," but you get my point.
Grace,
Tom
Just a Meadow Minute
Don’t blink. You’ll miss it.
It’s been on my mind for some time to write this Meadow Minute about how quickly the years pass when we have children at home. Hearing those lines, we typically go through a certain thought process. Don’t blink. You’ll miss their first taste of French fries and their potty training and their nights in your bed during a storm. Don’t blink. You’ll miss their birthday parties and their Christmas mornings and their skinned knees. Don’t blink. You’ll miss their T-ball games and their school plays and their lamb showings. Don’t blink. You’ll miss their driving lessons, and their first date and their High School graduation. Don’t blink. You’ll miss their College graduation and their wedding and your first grandchild. Life is short. Life comes at us quick. Don’t waste the daylight. Don’t blink. You’ll miss it.
Actually, those lines led me to the timing for the Child Dedication Service last Sunday on Mother’s Day. A reminder to parents and families—don’t blink. You’ll miss the opportunities of your child’s formative years. You’ll miss hearing the honesty in your little one’s first prayer. You’ll miss showing your child being a Christian is walking the walk, not just talking the talk. Don’t blink. You’ll miss teaching your precious charge the disciplines of regular worship at the church and regular prayer at the dinner table and regular Bible study in their own first Bible. Don’t blink You’ll miss it. The world will claim them more and more every day, and then before you know it, your child won’t need you to take them anywhere. Don’t blink. You’ll not know where they are late at night when you finally surrender to sleep. Don’t blink. You’ll miss the chance to help them seek God’s guidance in the snap decisions they’ll be forced to make. Maybe at a party. Maybe on an overnight stay with friends. Maybe in the back of a car. Don’t blink. You’ll miss it.
Before you know it, you won’t be the most important relationship in your child’s life—ever again. Teachers, coaches, boyfriends and girlfriends, BFFs, and YouTube celebrities will all be jockeying for that position. And then a spouse and likely kids will come before you. Will Jesus even be in the mix? Will the Lord’s influence, His guidance, His abiding Spirit in your child’s heart remain the deciding force in where he or she will go with who for what? You may not be invited, but Jesus can be there. You’ve been given a privilege, a window of opportunity, a few short years as the single, most impactful relational influence in your child’s life that very well may decide his or her eternity. Don’t blink. You’ll miss it.
Maybe you’ve read this far and in your season of life you’re telling yourself, “Well, I guess I blinked. I guess I missed it.” That’s the enemy talking. The enemy would relish the idea that you’re disappointed with yourself as a parent. He would love you to believe you missed that privilege, that window of opportunity. But the enemy is the Prince of lies. “While it’s still called today,” you have not run out of time. The very best time in your life, the most appropriate time in your life, the most privileged, impactful, influential time in your life for letting Christ lead you to be everything He wants to be, and by extension, everything He wants to be in your child’s life is what we refer to as NOW. Not later. Not sometime. Not eventually. NOW. While you still have the opportunity. While it’s still called today.
Hebrews 3:13 says, “But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called ‘TODAY,” lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”
Life IS short. Eternity IS long. If you’re breathing, it’s still called today. God’s grace is sufficient. Don’t miss it.
Grace,
Tom
How long has it been since your LAST “Mountaintop Experience” with God? Sermon after sermon, devotional after devotional, focus on how life is lived in the valleys, in the trenches, but rarely about the mountaintops. That can lead to thinking that having a life-changing, awe-inspiring, eternity-glimpsing time with God is only some memory of an event that happened in the much-too-distant past, perhaps as far back as your conversion. Are you one who thinks, “Easter is over this year, Jesus won. Now can’t we just go back to the drudgery of everyday living”?
Yes, God is with us in the shadows of grief and the struggles of parenting and the pressures of paying the bills. Praise God, He NEVER leaves nor forsakes us. As His children, we can never be loved by our Heavenly Father more—or less— than He already does. But when was the last time you climbed to the mountaintop to present your body again as a living, holy, sacrifice to God, intentionally surrendering your all to Him?
It was those very feelings that inspired Frances Ridley Havergal on February 4th, 1847, to compose one of my favorite hymns. She would later write, “I just yielded myself to Him, and utterly trusted Him to keep me.”
Take my life and let it be,
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my moments and my days—
Let them flow in ceaseless praise,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands and let them move,
At the impulse of Thy love;
Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee,
Swift and beautiful for Thee.
Take my voice and let me sing,
Always only, for my King
Take my lips and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee,
Filled with messages from Thee.
Take my silver and my gold--
Not a mite would I withhold;
Take my intellect and use
Ev'ry pow'r as Thou shalt choose,
Ev'ry pow'r as Thou shalt choose.
Take my will and make it Thine--
It shall be no longer mine;
Take my heart--it is Thine own,
It shall be Thy royal throne,
It shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love--my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure store;
Take myself--and I will be
Ever only ALL for Thee,
Ever only ALL for Thee.
May this hymn be my lasting testimony.
“I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God which is your spiritual service of worship.” (Romans 12:1)
Grace,
Tom
The story of David and Goliath has likely been used for more devotionals and sermons than any other single event of the Old Testament. I certainly turn to the spiritual truths found there on a regular basis. I am sure my starting this Meadow Minute with those two names has already reminded you of what you know of the story. Well, how ‘bout this?
When David was ready to go into battle against the giant Philistine, Saul wanted to hold David back because the boy wasn’t a hardened fighter. Do you remember David’s response to the king of Israel? David says in 1 Samuel 17:36, “Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear…”
David recalled to his memory how God had helped him in the past. Recalling God’s goodness, David steadied himself for what lay ahead. He found courage against fear and doubt by remembering how God had been there before. And not only did he remember it, but it became part of his testimony about God’s goodness.
Try that. When feeling the pressure of a situation—a coming confrontation, a looming medical diagnosis, an inevitable financial crisis—try David’s approach at facing your future. Reminisce a minute about God’s accomplishments in your life. It would serve us all well to intentionally recall the blessings we have received from God.
With Easter having just passed, you will certainly remember how His great love and grace and mercy has covered your sin by Jesus’ shed blood on the cross. And His promise of an eternal home in heaven because of the Lord’s victory over death—what a great place to start! But
keep going. Look at all the paychecks He has provided. All the prayers He has answered. All the friends who have supported you. Your children. Your parents. Your spouse. Your health. Your education. Keep going. There’s more. There’s lots more and you know it. If it’s difficult to recall all that God has done for you, is that a reflection of God’s limited goodness or your well-developed attitude of ingratitude? His blessings are there and have been there through every season of your life. It’s time we all learn to imitate the psalm-writing king known for being a man after God’s own heart. Let’s all live more grateful. If we do, we’ll find such reminiscing not only beneficial in encouraging ourself, but also effective in our witness to encourage others.
I have friends and family who are minimalists. With regularity, they intentionally take a look at their possessions and decide what is really necessary to hang on to. If they haven’t used something in a certain period of time, it must not be worth having, and they pitch it. After all, there’s no point in hanging onto those old bowling trophies or that killer 8-track tape collection. (On the other hand, Diane and I have caught ourselves keeping an empty box out in the garage because, well, it’s a really good box!) Whether you’re a minimalist or not, never throw out the vivid memories of God’s rich blessings. Use them regularly. Cling to the blessings from the God who has assured you He will never leave or forsake you.
“Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow.” James 1:17
Count your many blessing, name them one by one; and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.
Grace,
Tom
One of the people I follow on Facebook is a man by the name of Jeff Brown. I have never met Jeff personally, but on the “I Love the Smoky
Mountains” Facebook page, he is known as the Waterfall Wanderer. Jeff travels across much of the Blue Ridge Parkway taking hikes, taking pictures, and taking people via his hikes and pictures to the waterfalls found in the Great Smoky Mountains. Look him up. You just might fall in love with that part of the country like I have. While daydreaming of my happy place and planning our next visit to the mountains while viewing some of Jeff’s posts, I wondered about wandering.
Wanderings and wonderings. For those of us from West Texas, both those words come out sounding pretty much the same because of our accents. And in a spiritual sense, while they obviously mean two different things, they are quite connected. Wanderings and
wonderings. A bit of a conundrum.
Psalm 119:10-11 says, “With all my heart I have sought Thee; do not let me wander from Thy commandments. Thy word I have treasured
in my heart, that I may not sin against Thee.”
That first verse presents an issue. “I have sought Thee,” but then, “don’t let me wander…” Is seeking things out the same as wandering or wondering. I wonder which. It is quite easy to find ourselves wandering in our Christian life. Wonder how? Perhaps, some time ago, you came to Christ in true repentance and faith, accepting His free gift of salvation and asking the Holy Spirit to come into your life and lead you. But then somehow, gradually, you have packed Him and His church neatly away for special or necessary occasions. Easter. Christmas. Mother’s Day. A funeral or wedding. And you’ve found yourself consistently wandering from Him, wondering why your life seems a bit off tempo, out of sorts, missing something. Wandering while wondering why God is not blessing your wanderings. Wandering
and wondering.
I’ve heard it said that some people make what happens happen. Some people only watch what happens happen. Some people simply wonder what happened!
There’s no need to wonder how you might have started wandering. In a real sense, the answer is there in Psalm 119:10-11. Try saying it like this: “My Lord, keep me from wandering by keeping me from wondering. Your Word has the answer for my wanderings and my wonderings.” Do you treasure in your heart the promises and assurances of God? Can you recall them, and is your life led by those promises and assurances? I’m just wondering. Do you find yourself wandering more and more aimlessly in life wondering—in doubt, in sin, in unbelief, in indifference—because the close relationship you once shared with the Father seems now very distant and out of focus?
No matter how far you’ve wandered, don’t wonder if He’s waiting. He’s closer than you think. Those promises and assurances of God are still available, still within reach. Getting there takes honesty and re-commitment. Like Jeremiah 29:13 say, “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” His Word is “Wonder-full.”
Grace,
Tom
How many reading this Meadow Minute remember as I do hearing your mom saying something like: “This ain’t no buffet, darlin’. You git what you git, and you don’t pitch a fit…” Sound familiar? At all? Don’t get me wrong. My momma could cook. At my family’s house where I grew up the youngest of three boys, my dad provided for us all and my mom prepared delicious meals. Sometimes those meals
were “creative.” Sometimes they stretched into multiple-day leftovers. But I never went to bed hungry, except a few times for talking back. Even then, I remember Momma sneaking me some later, and I ate it willingly. Only one person on this planet can prepare meals better than my momma…and I married her…so there’s that. But there was one solid rule growing up. We had one option at mealtime—eat what was put in front of us. Mom never considered herself a short-order cook ready to grant the wishes of entitled little picky eaters!
Sometimes, looking for options is a good thing. But sometimes, looking for options brings on consequences of separation and punishment.
By some estimates, the entire earthly ministry of Jesus lasted around 3 ½ years. Our minds are filled with the stories He told and the wonderful things He did. Still, apart from the events of His birth in a manger with angels and shepherds and wisemen attending, we most often speak about the days leading up to and including the crucifixion and the resurrection of our Savior on Easter Sunday morning. We choose to accept His sacrifice on our behalf as the Only Begotten Son of God, or we don’t.
Maybe you have heard it said, “Jesus is either a liar, a lunatic, or Lord.” As recorded by Scripture, Jesus never said the exact words, “I am God.” But He did make the claim in several settings to be God, and everyone listening understood what He was saying.
For instance, the Jews took up stones to kill Jesus in John 8:58, when the Lord said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I AM,” equating Himself with the Name of God given to Moses on the mountain.
The same thing happened in John 10:30, when Jesus said, “I and the Father are one.”
And during Passion Week before Jesus was condemned to die, He was questioned by Pilate, the governor, “Are You the King of the Jews?” Every Jew in Jesus’ day knew that was a term for the Messiah, the Promised One of God. Jesus answered Pilate, “It is as you say.”
So, while we who heard, “you git what you git…” had limited choices in the food we ate, God has given us all the free will to choose our eternity. Jesus is either a liar, a lunatic, or Lord. Claiming to be God if He is not, would make Jesus a liar, and not “a good man.” If He is just a man, some might opt for being kind in deciding Jesus was a bit misguided, a lunatic, claiming to be the God-Man. Or, as I and countless millions with me confess, Jesus is Lord. He is Lord of all, and every knee WILL bow, and every tongue WILL confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord. One group will make that confession by faith unto eternal life. Another group will be forced to make that confession even unto eternal death and separation from Him having rejected His free offer of saving grace. Wheat vs tares. Sheep vs goats. Saved vs lost.
Call that narrow-minded, hard-hearted, mean-spirited, but God’s Word makes it plain. There is but ONE OPTION, ONE WAY to heaven. “And there is salvation in NO ONE ELSE; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
Praise God for the Cross. Praise God for the empty tomb! Hope to see you at the SonRise service this Sunday at 7:30. Then stay for the churchwide breakfast and 9:00 worship. We’ll be done for the day around 10:00.
Grace,
Tom
How God’s Spirit has moved to bring about the Great Hymns of our faith has always been of interest to me. In my personal Bible study, I often find myself humming familiar melodies I’ve cherished since I was just a boy when I come upon the inspiration for many of the most
loved songs while reading God’s Word. Read this verse and see if you start humming.
Deuteronomy 33:27a says, “The eternal God is a dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms.”
Here’s the story of this wonderful hymn: One afternoon in 1887, music teacher A.J. Showalter dismissed his class and returned to his rooming house in Hartsville, Alabama. The mail had run that day, and Showalter found letters from two former students, each with a similar story. Both of them had lost their wives, and both wives had died on the exact same day. Showalter immediately began responding by writing letters of condolence. The Scripture that came to his mind was the one above from Deuteronomy, the assurance of God’s “everlasting arms” supporting us, even in the darkest moments of life.
After writing to both former students, this music teacher wrote a third letter to Elisha Hoffman, a hymnwriter in Pennsylvania. Showalter suggested that Hoffman write a hymn on the theme and even suggested the wording for the chorus. Hoffman responded quickly with three stanzas, and Showalter supplied the music.
“What a fellowship, what a joy divine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
What a blessedness, what a peace is mine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.
Leaning, leaning,
Safe and secure from all alarms;
Leaning, leaning,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.
O, how sweet to walk in this pilgrim way,
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
O, how bright the path grows from day to day,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.
What have I to dread, what have I to fear,
Leaning on the everlasting arms?
I have blessed peace with my Lord so near,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.”
So very often we find ourselves longing for God’s arms beneath us, and His love surrounding us. Close to Him, we can find strength in even the most sorrowful situations. This does not mean we deny the emotions of loss and grief and struggle. When a loved one dies, it’s normal and right to mourn. But the follower of Christ knows that He is still in control. He never abandons His own, praise God!
There are still four more weeks in this cycle of GriefShare at FBC, Meadow. We meet each Tuesday evening for about an hour starting at 6:15 p.m. If you are dealing with the loss of someone precious to you and sense the need to lean on the arms of God—even on others who are currently dealing with their grief—you are welcome to come and be a part.
Grace,
Tom