God bless America, again

I'm writing tonight while watching the opening game of  the World Series.  I don't know why I am watching it since MY team was eliminated in the earliest stages of the playoffs, but it's baseball and it's the World Series, and something about the event causes me to show some support for the game that has meant so much to our country.

My earliest remembrance of baseball was in my early childhood when my dad and a bunch of guys that just wanted to play ball, played at the old Cole Park in Midland.  We always enjoyed going to the park and getting to see the games.  Then, Midland's own version of the "green monster" was the old wooden constructed ballpark that was just down the street from our house.  We thought we had made it big when dad would take us to a game, and it was still exciting when we couldn't buy a ticket, but got to watch the game by looking over the outfield fence. 

Then in Little League days, baseball was always an exciting time.  I never made it to the A team but playing on the B team each year was fun.  Baseball was an exciting pastime and all the guys seemed to be interested in playing. 

Saturday afternoons were spent in front of the black and white TV watching the Game of the Week. At our house there were usually two boys laying in the floor watching the game and dad was in the recliner while we watched some of the baseball greats.  Those Saturday games featured Dizzy Dean and Peewee Reese as the commentators and they always made the games interesting and exciting. 

Baseball is a part of America and her heritage.  It was grouped with hot dogs and apple pie in the phrase of the things which America is all about.  Sometime later, that phrase was picked up by some advertising agency and Chevrolet, by virtue of the jingle that accompanied their advertising, led us to believe nothing could be more American than baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet.

You may think I am reminiscing only of days gone by, but all of those basics are still around today. True, there are new Chevys that come out every year, but the roots go deep into the core of our country and the traditions and a lifestyle that was much more simple than today.  

The same can be said of our spiritual heritage, too.  Prayer, worship, evangelism, and missions have always been the core of our existence as churches.  Whatever we engaged ourselves in back in those days, there was also a spiritual influence that was associated.  I swell with pride in our country when the National Anthem is played before each game, and again now that "God Bless America" has been added to baseball's seventh inning stretch. 

I am always ready for progress and moving forward, but consider with me the possibility that some of the things we have left behind, need to be brought to the forefront again.  Things like baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet.  And things like prayer and Bible reading, and listening to sermons, and telling our neighbor about the good news of the gospel.  Maybe.....just maybe, the things that brought solidarity to our country and unity in our spirituality, could do it again. 

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We All Stumble

Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. ² We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.
³ When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. ⁴ Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. ⁵ Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. ⁶ The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.   James 3:1-6

The Bible writings of James come straight to the point.  In this segment of scripture from Chapter 3, notice several revealing revelations which are given.

1.  The judgement of those who teach will be more strict.

2.  We all stumble in many ways.

3.  Bits in the mouths of horses make them obedient.

4.  Huge ships are directed by small rudders.

5.  Our tongue is a small part of the body but it makes great boasts.

James further says you can understand this part about the tongue when you consider a huge forest can be set on fire and destroyed by just a small spark.  He is letting us know our speech, by just a small part of our bodies, the tongue, can be a world of evil, resulting in the corruption of the whole body.  It sets the whole course for one's life.  And itself is set on fire by hell.

This week I received a question concerning this part of James writing.  The question asked why we have problems with recurring sins.  Now might be a good time to refresh our memory of  verse 2, "We all stumble in many ways."  Are there sins which are more difficult to overcome than others?  We know there are.  And our God, being in the business of forgiving and loving us and extending his grace toward us, will be with us through the process.  Remember that sin is still sin, and even as Christians we wrestle with it regularly. 

Paul says "we must consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus."  Romans 6:11

In dealing with that sin which continues in our lives as Christians, depend on God's power by praising him for his love, and his continuing grace.  We need his forgiveness.  Pray for his power to make you an  overcomer.

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Worship God

Open MY Eyes

One of the most stirring songs of worship is "Open the Eyes of My Heart,"  by Michael W. Smith.  Today as we are looking forward to the weekend and to worship on Sunday, I want you to consider the words of this song.  Your consideration will do an amazing amount of good in preparing you for worship. 

We do need to prepare ourselves for worship, you know.  The busy lives we lead in our work schedules, the kids' soccer games, movies, entertaining friends, school activities, and all the other "stuff," I am saying we need to take a few moments and allow ourselves to get into the proper frame of mind and in an attitude of worship.   The words to this song will help you. 

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

To see You high and lifted up
Shinin' in the light of Your glory
Pour out Your power and love
As we sing holy, holy, holy.

Holy, holy, holy
We cry holy, holy, holy
You are holy, holy, holy
I want to see you.

Perhaps we should examine what we expect from worship.  Think about those who lead us when we sing, or those who lead us when we pray, or the one who delivers a message from the word.  We expect these people to be prepared enough to lead us.  More than that, we want them to pass our inspection. While I agree with them being prepared to lead worship, I must remind you that we are not the audience in worship, God is.  We are singing praise to him, praying to him, learning about him, and to share with others who have gathered to worship him. 

Do you wish to worship and actually experience the presence of God?  Will you go to worship in the hopes God can help you with some problem or deliver you from the hurt of sin?   Would you want worship to be more than going through the motions while saying and doing the same things week after week?  I'm suggesting you meditate on scripture and even the words of this song, to help you prepare to be in God's presence. 

Even in partaking of the Lord's Supper, we need to be preparing ourselves.  Scripture says we should examine ourselves.  I say we should also pray the words of this song, "Open the eyes of my heart, Lord,  I want to see you."

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I AM

 

Moses was instructed by God to go and make demands of Pharaoh to release the Israelites from their slavery. He tried to weasel out of the task and even asked God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”  God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’”  Exodus 3:13-14

What kind of a name is that?  Whatever clan you are from, and whatever era in which you live or lived, that would be a strange name.  We are more accustomed to John and Jane Doe.  What can we come to know from the name God chose to reveal himself?

For one thing, the easiest answer to the question is that it means what it says.  There has never been a time nor will there ever be a time when God cannot say, "I AM."  Even when we have a wavering faith and our doubts try to control us, God still is God.  We can travel to the farthest corners of the world or even to the outer limits of space, God still is God.  We may live only a few years or lots of years and he remains God. 

The most important answer to our question about God's name comes from our relationship with him.  To be the child of I AM, makes you the recipient of his grace and forgiveness, and you will share in his eternal nature.  There really is something in a name.  I AM has sent me to tell you. 

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By My Spirit

Then the angel who talked with me returned and woke me up, like someone awakened from sleep. ² He asked me, “What do you see?”  I answered, “I see a solid gold lampstand with a bowl at the top and seven lamps on it, with seven channels to the lamps. ³ Also there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.” ⁴ I asked the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?”  ⁵ He answered, “Do you not know what these are?”  “No, my lord,” I replied.  ⁶ So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty."    Zachariah 4:1-6

It was a time of crisis for God's people.  The temple was being rebuilt and the people of God were in the process of rebuilding their lives.  God's prophet in this time was Zachariah through whom God spoke with his directions and instructions. 

Needless to say, in the busy times in which they were living, they were vulnerable and often seemed misguided.  That is always a danger when a nation is rebuilding.  In the language which we might find difficulty in understanding, an angel is discussing things with the prophet, Zachariah, and explaining to him the visions he has seen in his sleep.  The message God wanted them to know was revealed by the angel through Zachariah.  “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty."  God further let Zachariah know that Zerubbabel, who had laid the foundation for the temple, would also finish in building the temple.

All of that important rebuilding stuff is going on and it was important to God, but of greater importance was the rebuilding or restoration of his people.  Like Israel, we find ourselves in times of crisis, too.  Even when our nation was in its infancy and parameters were being established for the new citizens, there were some words spoken by Benjamin Franklin which demand mention here.  It was at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 when Mr. Franklin said:

"I have lived, sir, a long time; and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth, that God governs in the affairs of men.  And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid?"   After posing that question, Franklin suggested their every meeting should begin with heartfelt prayer for divine guidance. 

Now I bring you back to the words spoken through Zachariah concerning God's rebuilding of the nation of his children.  ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.

Israel, in crisis, needed to learn, and we, in crisis, need to learn that truth.  It's not accomplished by man's power or his strength.  The real success of a nation is based on its willingness to be strengthened by the power of God's Spirit. 

While I pray for our country's leaders and for spiritual consideration to be given in their decisions, I must also recognize no matter how strong, how influential, how wealthy, and even how experienced our leaders are, they will lead us into failure if their leadership is void of God's Spirit.  That is a biblical principle based on his word, which makes it a matter of faith for us. 

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Be Strong and Courageous

After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: ² “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. ³ I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. ⁴ Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. ⁵ No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. ⁶ Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.
⁷ “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. ⁸ Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. ⁹ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”  Joshua 1:1-9

Moses had died and Joshua is chosen by God to lead the Israelites across the Jordan River and into the land God was giving them.  God promises them all the territory which is outlined in verse 4.  The promise continues to include verse 5, that no once will be able to stand against them.  His last part of the promise is "I will never leave you nor forsake you. Notice three times where God's message to Joshua is very clear.  The three times God speaks it are worthy of note, too.

"Be strong and courageous" because you, Joshua, are leading my people to their inheritance.

"Be strong and courageous" and be careful to obey my law.

"Be strong and courageous" for the Lord your God is going to be with you wherever you go.

God's message to Joshua was specific, leaving no doubt about the task Joshua faced.  We, too, can come to know God's promise to Joshua as a promise to us.  Whenever we find ourselves doing "God things,"  we have the presence of the Holy Spirit living in us. That's when we know we are experiencing God's strength and courage to do his will.

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