Just Kids

A devotional pamphlet I was reading carried a brief story about a young man named Darrell Blizzard who had grown up in an orphanage. He was attending Penn State for his first semester of college. The year was 1942 and World War II was in full swing. All those who were recently out of high school and beginning college were keeping an eye on the war, especially on the draft. If they were drafted they would automatically go into the Army, and probably to combat positions on the front line. 

Darrell had always been interested in flying, and attempted to enlist in the Army Air Corps. Following several setbacks to get into training schools, he finally found himself a member of Air Corps, inducted in Pennsylvania, but attending Basic Training in Florida.  It was in North Carolina where he actually started some training in a Piper Cub, which was just a frame of an airplane, with canvas covered body and wings. 

His desire to become a bomber pilot sent him to training in Marfa, Texas and Hobbs, New Mexico, facilities which are no longer operating. While reflecting on the long hours of training and schooling, Darrell was quoted by a reporter that the largest thing he had driven was  a four-mule plow team, and now he was flying a four engine B-17 bomber. He was also quoted as saying, "We were all just a bunch of kids in combat regions, flying missions which could have tremendous impact on the outcome of the war."

I failed to mention when our story started, Darrell Blizzard was 17 years old. After all his training and schooling, he was 19 and about to turn 20, and carrying a huge responsibility in his task as a bomber pilot. He later became an airline pilot so we can understand how flying was his passion. 

Would we question someone that young and inexperienced to have such a responsibility?  Even in the church when a task is assigned to someone in their youth, we are reluctant and often uncomfortable giving responsibility to some because of their age.  We want them to have experience.....successful experience before we trust them with important duties. 

That devotional magazine I was reading mentioned several examples from the Bible which might make us think otherwise.  1 Samuel 2:18 says, "Samuel ministered before the Lord, even as a child." And remember the story of David when he was told on several occasions that he was too young to be a soldier and fight against the Philistines. He was told he was not able to fight Goliath, because he was still a youth.  Another example is Mary. All indications have us thinking she was a very young woman when the announcement was made to her that she would give birth to the Son of God.  Then one more is the attitude of Paul as he told his young ministry student, Timothy, "Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to all believers."

God places great value on every child of His, regardless of age, when they place their trust in Him. My challenge to you today is to spend some time praying for those who are young in their Christian walk, and then on Sunday at church, give them some words of encouragement and let them know how much you appreciate their example.

<ronbwriting@gmail.com>

But Some Doubted

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.  When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 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.”  Matthew 28:16-20

The events of the public ministry of Jesus were history. His death, burial and resurrection were things of the past. Jesus had made some appearances since being raised from the dead, the these verses were his departing commands to his closest disciples. They contain those words which we call the "Great Commission,"  which extend even to us and become the basis for the church's ministry of evangelizing the world.

One special note for those who are familiar with this section of scripture is we often start quoting with the command of Jesus, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations...."  We fail to read and remember the verses that lead up to the command.  Notice, the eleven went to Galilee, to the exact place where Jesus had told them to go.  Then they saw him. They worshiped him, but some doubted. 

Was there doubt in the ranks of the remaining eleven? The very ones who had followed him through all the ups and downs, in good times and bad, those who were witnesses to his resurrected state. How can it be, even after all that, there were some that still doubted?

Before we find an answer to that, we must make a contemporary glance at those of us who are disciples of Jesus. His authority in heaven and earth has been established and it is by his authority that we are commanded to make disciples of every nation. We preach and proclaim that every Christian is commanded to actively participate in evangelizing the world.

Even when understanding that, we must admit that we have fallen short of being obedient to the Great Commission's commands.  We may hear it preached from the pulpit, and drop a few bucks in the collection plate, and feel confident we are supporting the spread of the gospel. I would never discourage your financial support to missions and evangelism, but there is a trend among us just like that of the eleven mentioned at the end of Matthew 28.  Even today, some see him, they worship him, but some doubt. They may doubt the authority of Jesus, or they  may doubt their own ability to be making disciples of all nations, but the doubt is there.

Look again at the closing words of Jesus' commands. "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."  My premise is this.  When our doubts have been erased concerning Jesus being with us now and to the very end, only then will we be instruments in his hands, bringing others to him.

  

<ronbwriting@gmail.com>

The Bonds of Freedom

The Apostle Paul is our example of evangelism and church planting. Throughout his missionary tours people were brought to the Lord and their faithfulness became the subject matter of many of Paul's letters to the churches he had visited.  

Yesterday when I was working on blog articles for the week, I introduced you to a publication I had found called "Prisoner to Prisoner." It is a booklet of devotional writings from those who are incarcerated. My mind led me to Ephesians 4 where Paul calls himself a "prisoner for the Lord."  We do know that Paul spent time in prison because of his faith. Some of the New Testament letters were written by Paul while he was imprisoned. 

Why do you suppose Paul would call himself a prisoner for the Lord?  In the context of Ephesians 4, Paul uses this description of himself, to encourage the Ephesian Christians to lead lives worthy of their calling. "As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received." Further encouragement is for them to be humble and gentle and patient, as well as loving toward each other.   He then went on to explain the structure of the church which brings growth and maturity. 

If I read all of that correctly, I get the picture of those who are actively involved in using their individual gifts to benefit the growth of the church.  To me, it's more of a picture of freedom and liberty than a picture of being imprisoned. 

Then I am reminded of another scripture from 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;  you were bought at a price."  These verses tell of the overall theme of the Bible, that all of us are sinners, Jesus died for our sins, and when we seek his grace and forgiveness we are being redeemed from the penalty of sin by Jesus. His blood is the price paid for our ransom. 

Paul himself is our example here, too. This rugged man who fought long and hard against Christianity, found Jesus on the Damascus road and he was no longer a man to follow after his own aims and desires. He now belonged to God, bought and paid for with Jesus' blood.  

The same is true of us. We, too, become a prisoner of the Lord, a prisoner to the joyous life of freedom from the bonds of sin, set free from the guilt, the misery, and the penalty of sin. Instead of living according to the ways of the world, we who belong to God find direction for living by the power of the Holy Spirit living in us. It is then in our weakness we find strength. In our poverty we find prosperity. In losing everything, we find everything. In giving up all things, we gain all things.  We find ourselves bound to Him, with those bonds that bring liberty. 

<ronbwriting@gmail.com>

July 4

Here's the Plan

²⁴ The Lord Almighty has sworn,

“Surely, as I have planned, so it will be,
    and as I have purposed, so it will happen.
²⁵ I will crush the Assyrian in my land;
    on my mountains I will trample him down.
His yoke will be taken from my people,
    and his burden removed from their shoulders.”

²⁶ This is the plan determined for the whole world;
    this is the hand stretched out over all nations.
²⁷ For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him?
    His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?                       Isaiah 14:24-27

It's been a lot of years since Frank Peretti  brought us his first book, "This Present Darkness."  I was probably among the last to read it when it came out, mainly because it was fiction, and I had the erroneous idea that fiction wasn't the place to look for spiritual truth.  I must confess now, in the Christian fiction I have read, those authors have a way of telling their stories while inserting lots of biblical teaching. 

When I started reading the Peretti book, I had a hard time getting through the first few chapters, but after that, I couldn't put it down. The book deals with the war of spiritual entities, God vs. Satan, good vs. evil, right vs. wrong.  I thought I had a fairly good concept of the workings of Satan, his craftiness and his lies.  The story Peretti told opened my eyes to even more happenings in the world and in my own life, that could be attributed to spiritual darkness.  Before I finished the book I had already confessed to myself that the author seems to have lived in my house, walked in my shoes, and experienced many of the same frustrations I was experiencing. 

I'm very familiar with the suggestion that we read the end of the book, and not only does God win, we win, too.  But the fact still remains as long as we are in this life, we as Christians deal with the forces of Satan's darkness. It seems to be ever present around us, and sometimes in us. 

In the verses above, God's people are in bondage and captivity by the Babylonians.  God, through Isaiah is outlining the event of their release.  Inside the plan God reveals something about his nature that you and I need to know and understand in our battle with darkness. The plan is God ordained, with God's determination, to show his power and his love for his people. Read verses 26 and 27 again....out loud. The biblical truth is powerfully given.  All the forces of darkness cannot stop what God has ordained.

That truth is for nations, and for struggling people like you and me. We may experience some of "this present darkness," but our God is greater and more powerful than anything Satan throws our way.  Folks, that's the confidence we need in our lives. 

<ronbwriting@gmail.com>

Knowing God

I was reading an article today by Bill Bright of Campus Crusade for Christ, and he makes the statement, "The God who created the universe did not make it difficult to know Him.”   I hope you ponder on that for a bit and come away with the simple acceptance of that truth. 

My first analysis of what he said led me to ask, "If God has gone through so much, including creation, the destruction of mankind, leading his people to escape bondage, the teachings of the prophets, the gospels, the establishment of the church, and numerous etc's......why would he make himself like some super powerful leader of the universe that would never be approachable?"

The truth of the Bible is that our God is approachable.  In fact, the Scripture assures us that "he is not far from any of us."  That being said, even we who have been Christians for years often struggle with doubt when we feel distant from God. 

First of all, we get that feeling when we read and study some segment of Scripture that is difficult for us to understand.  If it can't be understood, then we think it's obvious God is making spiritual things difficult for us.  While I do not claim to understand everything in the Bible, I still respect it as the Word of God which leads me into relationship with him.  Further, it continues to reveal its truths to me as I read and study and open my heart and life to learn and accept the "deeper" things of God.  Even Scripture which I may understand and know its truth, perhaps I read it again several months or years later and there is some new truth that is revealed to me. 

Simple faith, trust and obedience to the truth of God, revealed in his word, is our aim.  I use that word, "simple," even in the hard to understand segments of Scripture.  True seekers of God will find him because in reality he finds us!  We should never make difficult something as simple as knowing God loves us and longs for us to know him eternally. 

<ronbwriting@gmail.com>

This is Love

1 Corinthians 13 (New Living Translation)

If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.  If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing.  If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it;  but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.

 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud  or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.  It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.  Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever!  Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture!  But when the time of perfection comes, these partial things will become useless.

When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity.  All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.

Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.

I read this chapter today from the New Living Translation for the first time. I am not promoting this translation above others. I read it, and prayed about love in our world, and wanted to issue a challenge to you. I do not know your Bible reading habits. I do not know which of the translations you have found easier to understand. I use a variety of translations, sometimes comparing them to each other. 

So here is the challenge. In a quiet time today, read the above chapter aloud with specific emphasis on how the word of God is speaking to you about love. You may wish to read it more than once. Then if you wish, read it again from another translation,  allowing God to speak to you from his word. 

Now go. Today in your activities and encounters with other people, examine yourself in the light of what God has taught you today.   God bless your study and the application of what you learn. 

<ronbwriting@gmail.com>this