COUNT DOWN TO THANKSGIVING

Our world is always in a rush and tumble state. People are always hurrying to some place of importance. The Thanksgiving Holiday makes it even worse. Air travel and road travel are increased by numbers at which we can only estimate at being "all time highs". Why is that?

Thanksgiving is a traditional American holiday that embodies what our nation is about. It is a time to remember those who first immigrated to the "New World" and planted the first crops, established the first towns and remembering the many that died trying to make this brave new world a reality. Those first Pilgrims came here seeking freedom. Freedom from an oppressive government, freedom to worship as they felt was right without government interference.

Is that really what most of us remember at this time of the year? No, probably not. What is it that drives people to go to extremes to be "home" for Thanksgiving? What is it that caused them to drive days on end for thousands of miles? What is it that causes them to stand in lines at airports, to endure layovers and cramped quarters in a cylinder hurtling through the air? What is it that causes them to chance being stranded by bad weather in some strange place while traveling, still far from home?

It seems that for most of us it is a time of reminiscing about times gone by. It is a time of remembering family gatherings of the past and looking forward to sharing more of the same. It is about smiling, laughing and sharing. It is about renewing and sharing our love with others, and yes it is a time of food. But the food itself is a reminder, a remembrance of times shared together in the past. It is about love! Love for family and friends.

Yes, I know that sometimes family (and friends) can be trying. The relationships sometime require sacrifices that are difficult, but then it is the "love" part that motivates us to make that sacrifice.

Perhaps Paul's words from 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 tell us what it is all about: "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." (NIV)

So, am I saying that our Thanksgiving Holiday is ultimately about love? Yes, of course it is, if it weren’t there would be no thanksgiving!

To all of my readers let me say, I am thankful for you! Many of you are separated from physical family (as are we) this holiday, but then we are family are we not. Joined in Christ, brothers and sisters and I rejoice that God has brought us together.

I MOURN YET LIVE IN HOPE

My heart is so heavy with the thought of an ungodly man in the place of leadership of our country once again. I mourn for the disaster that is coming on our country and for the loss and suffering which our children and grandchildren will face because of this election, for the murder of unborn millions and perhaps the forced deaths of many of us as we age.

Perhaps God is using him to chastise and humble our nation and through the coming four years to cause people's hearts to be open once again to Him. I don't know what God's plan is for us, but I believe he is still in charge of our world. Still I mourn for the loss of the things and freedoms we had when growing up, which our children and grandchildren may never now experience. I mourn for those who will go hungry and be cold and continue to loose their homes and jobs. I mourn for those who are now and will be forced to live by the grace of government programs, because they cannot support themselves or care for their families.

I know that it is hard not to loose heart at times like this, but having our hope centered on something greater and more lasting is what gives us the ability to continue on in this world.

Paul's words in Romans 8:35-39 reminds us of the hope we have in Christ.

"35  Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?

36  (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”)

37  No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

38  And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.

39  No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord." (NLT)

Russ Lawson

GETTING MORE THAN YOU BARGAINED FOR…

Marion Gilbert wrote this little paragraph, I thought it was worth sharing. “One morning I opened the door to get the newspaper and was surprised to see a strange little dog with our paper in his mouth. Delighted with this unexpected "delivery service," I fed him some treats. The following morning I was horrified to see the same dog sitting in front of our door, wagging his tail, surrounded by eight newspapers.
I spent the rest of that morning returning the papers to their owners.”

I know it seems like a silly little story, but what would you have done? After all, you didn’t tell the dog to bring all of those newspapers, it’s not even your dog! It’s not your responsibility to get them back is it? At the most, we might call the newspaper office… but to return all of the papers ourselves, that’s going just a little to far isn’t it?

The apostle Paul wrote to the young man Titus in Titus 2:7, “You must in all things show yourself an example of good deeds; in your teaching showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility.”

Wow, that’s difficult isn’t is, “you must in all things show yourself an example of good deeds… showing integrity…” I think the point Paul is making is that you never know who is watching what you do and how they will respond to your actions. You see, that is part of “Showing ourselves an example…” It takes more than just saying the right words and proclaiming that we are good people; we have to show by our example the stuff of which we are made… In this context of course I am talking about living our life so that it’s not just our words that say, “I’m a Christian,” it is our example also. 

It is the little things in life that make a difference… You may never have a dog bring you your neighbor’s newspaper, but what about that clerk or teller who gives you too much change or some other mistake made in your favor. How will you respond then? What will your example say?
My prayer is that our God will give you a pure heart of integrity as you walk through this life.

May He continue to bless and keep us all!

FRIENDS KEEP YOU SHARP

I have been writing for a lot of years now. I write for a local town paper back in Ohio and I send out email articles to a couple of thousand people around the world. The response I received is for the most part encouraging. Several times I have considered laying aside my pen (so to speak), but then I'll receive a comment or questions or a note of encouragement from some reader.

Over the years I have become acquainted with quite a number of new friends because of my writings (as well as a couple of folks who have taken exception to something I have written). All in all it has been a blessing to me through the years. When you write, as I do, you put yourself out there in front of people and reveal things about who you really are and what you really believe that many could not bring themselves to do.

I was thinking about my many friends and acquaintances and a passage from Proverbs came to mind. The writer said at one point, "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another". (Proverbs 27:17). Now when I started writing I never imagined that I would be starting a Bible question and answer ministry. I never imagined that I would do "online" counseling. I never imagined that through the miracle of the Internet, I would received emails from people literally all over the world, to whom someone has sent some of my writings. I never imagined that I would become close friends with people through correspondence (as close as you can become, never actually meeting face to face).

I've been asked before, "How much do you get paid for your writing?" The answer is always the same. I get paid nothing, but the value I receive emotionally and spiritually can not be weighed or measured.

Through this writing I have been "sharpened." I have been forced to look deeper at my beliefs, my faith and my relationship to God because of the comments and questions you send my way. But then, that's what friends do… They keep you sharp!

So a special thanks to all of you who have questioned and encouraged (or just put up with my rambling). You have been a blessing to me!

The question perhaps for you is, "Who sharpens you?" I have known people who can't take criticism at all, can't stand for anyone to question their stances or their beliefs. If that's you, then you are missing a blessing in life. Now, I did not say it was easy to deal with questions or criticism, but if you want to stay sharp you have to have it from time to time. In fact I would go as far as to say, that if you are never questioned, then you are either doing something wrong, or doing nothing at all. The old saying still rings true, "If you want never to be criticized, then, do nothing, say nothing and stand for nothing."

 I believe that God intends for each of us to make a difference in our world. To be that light shining from the candle (Matthew 5:15), to "let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father." Matthew 5:16) Maybe it's time for you to take a chance, make a statement, or make a stand for God. What do you think?

ONCE UPON A MATTRESS

My wife and I got to go with some good friends to see a High School play titled: Once upon a mattress. For those who don't know the story line, it is something like this: To test a girl (who claimed to be a princess) to see if she was a real princess, a dried pea was placed under 20 mattresses by the evil queen. If the girl felt the pea it proved she was a real princess because of her extreme sensitivity. The girl in the play passed the test, (with a little help from her friends). She felt the pea, proved she was a real princess and passed the test.

As I thought about that simple play, I thought about how much it mirrored real life. We often claim to be "real" Christians to our families, our friends, our co-workers and perhaps the world in general. In fact we can claim to be real royalty also.1 Peter 2:9 tells us, "But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light."

The devil is intent on proving that we are not special, not royalty, not Christians. Much like the evil queen in the play, he constantly presents us with tests designed to cause us to fail in being worth to wear the name "Christian".

Surviving these tests is never easy and often quite unpleasant. It could be resisting the influence of someone at school or work, or even within your own family to say some un-Christian word, loose control of our emotions or participate in some un-Christian act. It might be the influence of the world that causes us to be tempted to forget our Christian values, morals or ethics.

Satan tries to hide many lumps under the mattresses that make up the layers of our lives. The only true protection we have is to remain true to our relationship to Christ. Our world (guided by Satan) will lie to you and try to cause you to doubt God, His Word and other believers. I like what Paul wrote in Romans 3:4, "Even if everyone else is a liar, God is true."

Now in the play, as I said, the princess passed the test because of the help of her friends. We as Christians need to be there to help one another also; because that is the only way we will survive in this world. One of my favorite passages is Hebrews 3:12-14, where we read: "Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ."

This is one of my favorite passages, because I know I can't make it through this world alone. I need your encouragement in my life and I believe that you need the encouragement of other Christians also.

How about you, will you be proven royalty or not?

Don't Be Afraid

It is sometimes difficult to picture the real message of some scriptures. One of the best known scriptures is what is called "The Sermon on the Mount" found in Matthew 5-6-7.  In these chapters Jesus gives many insights in to our daily Christian living and our relationship to one another as well as with God.

Jesus also spends a lot of time dealing with our relationship with God the Father and how we learn to trust him. How much do you really trust God? In Matthew 6:25-27 Jesus says:  “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?"

My wife and I have been struggling with a rather mundane decision, yet one that affects our daily lives. We both believe very deeply that God loves us and helps guide our decisions "IF" we invite him to do so and really make him part of our lives. Some folks really don't know God that well. They really don't want to ask him to make the decision for them or trust him enough to live with whatever comes your way. Many really don't see God (either around them or in their mind's eye) and therefore really can't trust him to take care of them.

Our oldest son shared what trust really is about through the comments of our 5 year old granddaughter, Allison. They have been on a trip to Washington, DC, perhaps noticing all of the pigeons she said, "Daddy, Birds are afraid of us, but they're not afraid of God. They can just fly up and see him!"

How about that for faith and understanding? Don't you wish you had thought of that? Of what or who are you afraid. What is it that you are wanting? What are you wanting to change or perhaps needing direction for? There is an interesting thought in James 3:2-3 that relates to these questions. Notice what James says there (in part): "… you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong …"

There is a powerful hymn that we often sing. Some of the words speak to our trust and faith in God. The hymn says, "Some Glad morning when this life is o'er, I'll fly away;
to a home on God's celestial shores I'll fly away."

Yes, just like the birds, some day we will be able to "just fly up and see him!" Won't that be great!

9/11, A date that changed some…

There are very few dates in our American History that are as well known as 9/11. How many dates come to your minds that have special meanings? July 4, our Independence Day; then there is December 7^th, Pearly Harbor Day. Sure there are other special days; Christmas; Easter; Birthdays; Anniversaries and such. But no one day has so touched our now living generations as September Eleventh.

That day on which we were brutally attacked and thousands killed left an indelible mark on our nation and on the hearts of those who were alive to witness this exhibition of savagery.

At that time our nation was drawn together! People, who did not make it a practice to worship God, flocked to our churches. Strangers came together for comfort; people asked “How could anyone do such a thing?” People cried, people prayed, people gave of themselves and their money; people searched their souls, maybe some for the first time and considered their relationship to God and eternal life.

What has changed over the passing of a few years? What has happened to the overwhelming need to reconnect to God? Why are our churches not still overflowing with people searching for something outside of themselves?

You know the answer as well as I, because you experience it and fight against it just as I do. Satan, the one who twists men and women’s hearts has told folks, “Don’t worry about it, it will never happen to you.” And they believe him! Now he doesn’t tell them in those words, but he has drawn off their attentions from God, from their souls, from what might happen in eternity.

If you think about it, not much has changed in 2000 years. Our Lord and Savior was subjected to savagery and brutality and murdered. The response was fairly quick, within months there were literally thousands of people who responded to the message of what has happened. They learned how much their God could love them through the death of Jesus of Nazareth. The churches grew, they dealt with more savage attacks and stood firm because they were the generation which had experience it. But Satan used the same methods then that he does now and many forgot, many quit attending, nothing has changed.

However there are always a faithful few, the hope of the world, the apple of God’s eye, the ones with hope and faith in their hearts that reject Satan’s lies. Which group are you in?

Do you remember what Jesus said in Revelation  2:5, "Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works ... " Jesus warned he would spit folks (who were not keeping their promise to him), out of his mouth…"! Rev 3:16

Russ Lawson