THIS SHALL BE A SIGN

2 Peter 3:3-4 knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, 4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.”

Lest we forget, God has always given reminders of His faithfulness and Satan always tries to co-opt the same signs to draw our eyes back toward ourselves and our own lusts.

Genesis 9:14 The rainbow shall be in the cloud and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.

After the ark came to rest and Noah left to walk on dry ground, God promised that he would never again destroy the earth by water and as a reminder for all generations, He placed a rainbow in the clouds.  Of course that sign has been co-opted by people who mock the laws of God and follow their own lusts.  To those who have an intimate relationship with the God who created the rainbow, joy still fills our heart every time one appears, reminding us of God’s love and faithfulness to His creation.

Matthew 2:2 “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”

Matthew 2:10-11 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him.

Just last week, Venus and Jupiter came so close together that they appeared as one bright star.  Some called it the “Star of Bethlehem” as it passed through the constellation of Leo, a reminder of the star followed by the wise men in search of the Christ Child, the Lion of Judah.  Many mocked as believers were reminded of God’s faithfulness in fulfilling prophecy by sending a Redeemer who would die to save people from their sins, but to those whose sins are forgiven it brought rejoicing and we worshipped.

Job 38:31-33 Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades, or loose the belt of Orion?
32 Can you bring out Mazzaroth in its season? Or can you guide the Great Bear with its cubs?
33 Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you set their dominion over the earth?

Psalms 19:1-3 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. 2 Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge.
3 There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard.

If you study the constellations and what has come to be known as the signs of the Zodiac, you will see the beautiful story of redemption.  But of course Satan could not be silent, so he perverted the study of the stars, constellations and planets into a “science” called Astrology.  Rather than rely on the faithfulness of God to guide his steps, man began to look to the stars and read daily horoscopes to foretell the future and determine his destiny.  Of course man desired not just any destiny, but one that would satisfy all his longings and lusts.  Do you really thing an Astrologist or Psychic reader would last very long if they only foretold doom and gloom? But to we who have put our trust in the One who “guides the Great Bear with its cubs,” we look at the brightness of the each star, feel the warmth of the sun and know that God not only controls the earth on its axis but has a plan for each one that shelter beneath His “wings.”

John 14:1-4 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And where I go you know, and the way you know.”

Before Jesus ascended He promised His disciples that He was going to prepare a place for all who believed and obeyed the things He had commanded.  Then one day He would return and take those believers with Him to the place He had prepared.  And lest we forget, grow weary and began to doubt His faithfulness, there would be signs in the Heavens to remind us that we are not forgotten.

Luke 21:25-28 “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; 26 men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.27 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.”

Satan through humankind, will continue to mock, pervert and use the things set by God for his purpose and his followers may laugh, mock and scoff at the reports of earthquakes, pestilence, blood moons, Shemitah years, eclipses and “Stars of Bethlehem,”  but to the Redeemed they are just reminders of God’s Eternal Faithfulness.  That one day, “the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."  1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

GOD IS FAITHFUL.  I STILL BELIEVE, DO YOU?

2 Peter 8:3-9 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

TRUTH AS I SEE IT

Reminiscing with my brother a few years ago, he began to tell a story, “Do you remember when….”  As he continued with the details, I thought, “That isn’t the way it happened at all.”  It isn’t that he was lying, he just remembered or interpreted the events a little differently than they appeared to my mind.  It really did not make much difference to our lives which account was true and I’m sure the truth was actually contained somewhere amidst both recollections.

Perception is an amazing mental exercise.  Perception is the way you see an event or situation, filtered through the lens of philosophy, experience, environment and even desire.

 How many times have we “listened” to someone speaking but only “heard” the parts that fit the narrative, we have embraced.  A great example of course is the sermon you hear at church….A preacher preaches a “God wants you to be prosperous” message and your ears perk up because who doesn’t want money and all the great things you can buy.  So we go home excited and expecting a check in the mail or a bonus from the boss because that kind of preaching fits our narrative.  When the events fail to fit our narrative, however, we don’t realize that it may be because we DIDN'T hear the part in the sermon about God blessing us through a job and good stewardship or though we may be “poor in life, we can be rich in spirit” or even the part about “our soul prospering.”  The sermon was filtered through the “lens of desire.”

Speaking of “TRUTH FILTERED THROUGH THE LENS OF DESIRE,” one scripture that is always “thrown” out there to justify someone’s lustful pursuits is this part of 

Philippians 2:12 “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”  

And I want to SCREAM, “Could you misquote and twist a scripture anymore to fit YOUR TRUTH?”   This scripture belongs on the list of SELF-MANIPULATED SCRIPTURES, along with “judge not” and “all things in moderation.”  Perhaps that is one reason the world is in such a state of confusion, we are all busy trying to WORK OUT OUR OWN SALVATION!  Do we really think TRUTH is so fluid that God just left it up to us to “WORK IT OUT?” This scripture isn’t telling you to “work it out” any old way you “see it,” but it is saying that I can’t be saved for you or you for me; we must come to God and have a personal relationship with Him, on our own.

 There remains only ONE WAY and ONE TRUTH; it is TRUTH AS GOD IS!

There are many things, as we journey through life, where getting all the details exact won’t really make much difference.

  When it comes to GOD, however, there is only ONE TRUTH and it makes all the difference.  

If “TRUTH AS YOU SEE IT” doesn’t match up with “TRUTH AS GOD IS,” you have a problem.  The “TRUTH AS YOU SEE IT” may get you through life and a friendly relationship with your neighbor but only the “TRUTH AS GOD IS” will give you a relationship with Him and get you through eternity. 

WHAT DADS REALLY WANT

This weekend we celebrate the MEN in our lives.

There never seems to be as much hype surrounding Father’s Day as we see around Mother’s Day.  There are no ads suggesting we send beautiful bouquets of flowers, delicious chocolate-dipped strawberries, and exotic perfumes or take them out to gourmet dinners.  Even the greeting card section is reduced for Father’s Day.  The suggested gifts are grill utensils or the grill.  Now can you imagine getting Mom a set of spatulas or a frying pan?  Let me tell you, IT WOULD NOT BE PRETTY!  Then there is the TIE, which is fine if your dad is a lawyer or a preacher.  But then again, a lawyer or preacher probably already has a complete wardrobe of ties in every color and pattern available.

 So what can you give a man that just quietly goes to work every day so he can provide all the wonderful things his family enjoys?

How do you celebrate a man of integrity, who is faithful to his wife and children, saying NO when temptation knocks at his door?

How can you show your love for the man that loves your mother as Christ loved the church and would, without second, thought, lay down his life to protect those he loves?

What is it that such a Dad would really like to receive on his special day?

The answer doesn’t necessarily lie in a gift you can buy at the mall or order online, although I’m sure he appreciates anything you offer BUT that would be because it comes from YOU!!!  SO WHY NOT include yourself as part or all of your gift?  Here are some ideas to make this the BEST FATHER’S DAY ever…

First, think about something your Dad really enjoys doing during his leisure hours.

Second, creatively incorporate yourself into this gift or activity; your gift of time will mean more than the actual gift and every time he sees the gift, he will think of a special time with you.

FISHING – buy him some new lures and if he already has a fishing license, buy one for yourself and spend the day with your Dad at his favorite fishing hole, listening to his stories of the “one that got away,” and make sure to take a picture of the two of you to frame for his desk or night stand just to prove that your Dad really is the GREATEST CATCH of all.

SPORTS – buy tickets for the two of you to a sporting event and put a smile on your face even if you hate sports with a passion.  If you can’t afford tickets, buy his favorite snacks and soft drinks, give him a new Team T-Shirt and watch the event on TV.  DO NOT pull out and check your cell phone unless it is to take a “SELFIE” of the two of you cheering a play…this is guaranteed to produce a WINNING MOMENT that will last a life time. 

GARDENING – Go to your local nursery and buy Dad a tree, bush, unique plant or heirloom tomatoes, include a couple of pairs of gardening gloves, so you can help and maybe a new hat.  THEN, yep you guessed it….HELP him plant or weed or at least stand out there and let him show you how it is done.  Ask him questions. Is there a specific plant food you use?  What makes the tomatoes produce so heartily?  What makes your roses so much more beautiful than the neighbors?  AND at least pretend that you are interested.  He will love sharing his expertise with you and your relationship with Dad will continue to GROW.

 GRILLING – If there is no one that can flip a steak like Dad then go ahead and buy those new Grilling Utensils or a Chef’s Hat and Apron, then include a couple of thick juicy steaks, ribs, chops or chicken and some gourmet rubs to enhance the flavor.  Ask him to share his secret to the perfect steak or how his ribs are always so flavorful and never dry…take some notes to try at home and have the camera ready because a picture of Dad in a hat and apron will really get the day COOKING.

Perhaps your Dad likes to run or ride a bicycle, maybe he enjoys reading the latest Western or working on old cars, you can be creative and share one day participating in something in which he is passionate.

FINALLY, spend an evening with Dad, going through old pictures, sharing memories and laughing at your antics.  Set your favorite photos aside to scan, then go online and create a photo book of memories of just you and your Dad.  Order one for him and a second to keep because one day SOONER THAN YOU CAN IMAGINE, all you will have left to celebrate are the wonderful memories you are making today.

Now if your Dad is a preacher and you must give him that tie to add to his collection, at least give it to him with a note that discusses your favorite sermons that you have heard him preach and TAKE A PICTURE OF HIM WEARING THAT TIE!

SO, what do Dad’s really want for Father’s Day?  They want to know that the effort they put forth every day of the year means something.  They want to know they are APPRECIATED and that they are making a difference in your life.  They want to spend REAL, QUALITY time with the ones that matters the most to them.  They want to be LOVED and CELEBRATED.

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY TO MY DAD who has been gone for 14 years, thank you for loving my Mom and for creating  wonderful memories.

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY TO MY FATHER-IN-LAW who has been gone 31 years and not only raised an awesome man for me to marry but treated me like his own daughter during the short time he was in my life.

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY TO MY AWESOME HUSBAND who was the best Dad to our two boys and has treated their mother like a

princess for 39 years.

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY TO MY TWO SONS who are following the great example set by their Dad and are now making memories with their own families.

YOU CAN AFFORD THAT

John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal and to kill and to destroy.  I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly.

One of my greatest joys is watching and listening to the two men that for over 35 years I have been blessed to call my sons.  I do claim a little credit for contributing to their brilliance, but just a little, for they are so much wiser than I, at their age.  I listen, learn and walk away totally inspired after so many of our conversations; yesterday was one of those days. 

My youngest son, Phil called and as the conversation progressed through world events, politics and finally to economics, he quoted a couple of lines from a book he had read.  In the book, RICH DAD, POOR DAD, Robert Kiyosaki makes the statement that he does not allow himself to say, “I can’t afford that.”  Instead he asks himself, “How can I afford that? Or What do I have to do to afford that.”  This opens up a whole new mindset, eliminates envy, and puts the power of choice back into your hands.

We live in an ENVIOUS nation of people who have, as Robert Kiyosaki calls it, “a mindset of scarcity.”  Just listen to the nightly news for a few moments, tell a friend about your wonderful vacation or watch HGTV and check your thoughts as the couple looks for a luxurious vacation home in a tropical setting.  What are the words you usually hear?  I wish I could afford that or if I didn’t have to… or if I had…  We hear about “white privilege,” “Wall Street privilege,” “political privilege,” “inherited privilege;” insert, in front of privilege, whatever word comes to mind, when you consider the things you can’t afford.

The “Mindset of Scarcity” (R. Kiyosaki) can morph into a “Lifestyle of Scarcity” and we find ourselves sitting on the sidelines, watching with envy, the “plenty” of others, convinced that “we can never afford that.”  Once that mindset becomes ingrained in our thoughts, our actions and our lifestyle, it invades every area of our life and can actually become our WORLD VIEW. 

How many times have we looked at a brother or sister’s ministry, congregation, relationship with God, or other blessings and thought to ourselves, “I wish I had a big church; I wish my ministry would be blessed; I wish God would use me to do that; I wish I would be asked to speak at conference.”  GUILTY, GUILTY AND GUILTY!!!  What you are really saying is, “I wish I could afford that!”  You have accepted a “Mindset of Scarcity.”

 Pastor T. F. Tenney once said, “Don’t envy another man’s harvest until you have plowed his field.”  You see, EVERYTHING has a priced attached and anything you desire REALLY IS within your grasp.  The proper question is, “Am I willing to do what it takes to obtain that in my life?”  Am I willing to spend hours interceding for souls?  Am I willing to deny myself several meals and spend the time seeking God for direction?  Am I willing to leave all that I have to follow after the plan of God?  Am I willing to experience ridicule, rejection and the loss of friendships?  Am I willing to say NO to my desires and YES to God’s will? 

As Robert Kiyosaki wrote in his book, it is time to exchange the “Mindset of Scarcity for the Mindset of Abundance.”  You can be, do or have anything you desire in God if you are willing to pay the price.  Start praying a different prayer; pray a powerful prayer; ask God “How you can have what you desire from Him in your life.”  Ask God to show you “What you have to do to obtain a deeper walk, a more powerful ministry, or abundant blessing.”  THEN OBEY GOD!!!  It is the will of God that you LIVE IN ABUNDANCE but are you willing to PAY THE PRICE?

YOU CAN AFFORD THAT!!!

MERCY IS NEVER DESERVED

Psalms 86:5 For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.

MERCY…We all desire mercy for ourselves when we mess up, but it isn’t so easy to bestow mercy on others who are struggling.  MERCY is such an important attribute of God that He gave instructions for a MERCY SEAT to be placed ABOVE THE LAW, on top of the Ark of Testimony where His Shekinah Glory would rest.  God’s presence will always rest on MERCY.

Discussing this subject with a friend last week, she relayed an event that had taken place in her son’s life and had changed he and his wife’s thinking and treatment of those who didn’t live up to their “high standards.”  I made the statement, “I think God often allows and then uses events in our life to change our thinking and help us in becoming more like Him.”

One of those events happened in my husband’s life over 30 years ago.  Upon returning home from a vacation, Steve’s dad became very ill and went to the emergency room.  It was determined that he had inoperable cancer throughout his body.  It was the middle of December and his dad died in February.  During those 2 months, my husband sat by his dad’s bedside, fasted and prayed that God would heal his dad and he also prayed that God would show MERCY to his dad and save his soul. 

Hubert was a good man, had served his country and was kind to his neighbor, but he had never made a commitment to God.  During those 2 months, God answered Steve’s prayer; his dad repented and after bringing in a large “horse trough” tank into the kitchen, Steve baptized his Dad.  On his last day of life, when Hubert could hardly find the strength to breathe, he raised a feeble hand in praise to His Savior as the Pastor prayed for him and then walked without fear into eternity.

This was a life-changing event in Steve’s life…God taught him a great lesson in MERCY.  It was easy to ask God to show mercy to his dad because of the love of a son for his father, but what about those he came in contact with every day who were not his father?  What of those who some deemed as “too far gone?”  Could he pray for mercy for those who had treated him wrong and even stabbed him in the back?  God was faithful and answered a son’s desperate cry.  God had showed mercy on someone who for 66 years, had never looked to God until the last 2 months of life.  From that moment and still today, compassion and mercy overrules judgment in Steve’s heart…GOD IS MERCIFUL to all who call upon Him.

God’s mercy is so much greater than we can imagine or even try to understand.  His mercy toward you is endless and everlasting.  It is not about “DESERVING;” mercy cannot be EARNED or MERITED. It is merely kindness or favor, if it is only extended to those whom we deem deserving.  So the next time you look at someone who is seemingly hopeless, remember GOD’S MERCY toward you as you extend mercy toward them.   

If not for MERCY, you and I would have been one of many….A HOPELESS CASE.  Is there anyone in your life that is in dire need of mercy?  Are you in need of mercy? Here is the key…Show mercy and you shall obtain mercy.

Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

A FLAVOR EXPLOSION

Last year was my first real adventure in gardening.  Steve built 2 boxes for me, filled them with dirt and I began planting all my favorites; tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, green beans, squash, and strawberries.  I planted about 6 strawberry plants in one end of the box and as soon as a strawberry became ripe, there was a grandkid to pop it in his/her mouth.  This year all the strawberry plants came up automatically, filling the end of the box.  Since I couldn’t plant anything else until the end of May, I had not paid much attention to the garden.  Yesterday, Steve came in and said, “Get your bowl, there are a lot of ripe strawberries to be picked.”  Excitedly, I cut off the stems, washed them and popped a juicy berry in my mouth.  Talk about FLAVOR EXPLOSION!!!  It was strawberry flavor like I have not experienced in a looooong time.  “Wow, so this is what a real strawberry tastes like.”  Yes, I had been eating strawberries purchased from the local grocery’s produce department for so long that I didn’t even know how a strawberry should taste.  Instead of putting in the time and effort to acquire the best, I had settled for the easy offering of a Grocery Produce Buyer.

Too many times I have found myself in this same exact spot in my spiritual experiences and relationship with God.  I become lazy and satisfied living off the spiritual offerings of a congregation instead of cultivating a genuine relationship for myself.  For many years, I was content to attend church, participate on a superficial level in worship, feel the “thrill of the Spirit” run down my spine and continue on with my life satisfied with the “taste of God” on my lips.  Then one day, I found myself in a situation that church attendance couldn’t solve and the runoff of Brother or Sister’s blessing couldn’t cover; I had to start seeking, praying, shedding tears and forming a relationship with God on my own.

God is gracious and merciful to the truly repentant, the genuine seeker and the hungry heart; one day it happened.  I had what we in Pentecostal circles call a “BREAK THROUGH.” 

Psalms 34:8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

Talk about a FLAVOR EXPOSION!   I had tasted of the GOODNESS OF GOD.  It was like nothing I had ever experienced before and I wanted more.  Never again would I be satisfied with feasting off of a bygone experience from yesterday.  I wouldn’t be shopping for one that had spent days ripening on a truck and sitting on a shelf; I needed FRESH PICKED!

REFUSE TO BE SATISFIED; REFUSE TO SETTLE!  Oh it is much easier to just walk in the store and pick up a neat little container of bright red strawberries.  You can even convince yourself that they still have a little “strawberry flavor.”  BUT, if you ever take the time to till the soil, plant healthy seedlings, pull the weeds, water faithfully and wait patiently, you will harvest a good crop.  And once you have tasted the genuine you will never again settle for the fruit of someone else’s labor.

God has blessings reserved just for you.  Don’t cheat yourself out of God’s best by hoping for the “spillover” of a friend’s spiritual experience.  Dig a little, plant the Word in your freshly tilled soil, root out the weeds that threaten to choke out and overpower the tender seedlings, water your ground regularly with tears, wait patiently and rejoice in your abundant harvest.  Your soul is about to experience a FLAVOR EXPLOSION!

I THOUGHT IT WAS AUTOMATIC

Walking up the wide steps, we paused to take a few pictures, and then continued in anticipation toward the adventure that awaited us beyond the wall of doors.  Another couple was standing by the doors and after a polite greeting and smile, I reached out, pushed the door open and crossed into the large atrium at Lambeau Field.  With a surprised look and an embarrassed laugh, the young woman said, “I was just standing there waiting; I thought it was automatic.”  We shared a laugh because we all have pushed when we should have pulled, pulled when we should have pushed or simply waited for the door to open itself.  A little later in the day, it hit me.  WOW, the story of my life.

In Genesis 7, we find that after Noah, his family and the animals entered the ark, God SHUT the door.  But it does not say, in Genesis 8, after the flood waters had receded that God OPENED the door; that task was left up to Noah.  Noah could have stood in front of the door and waited for the “electric eye” of God to spring it open but then he and all the animals might have died and been entombed on the ark, never experiencing what God had prepared on the newly cleansed earth.

Have you ever prayed for God to “just open the door?”  What are you really saying?  “God if you just lay everything out for me, all nice and neat, I will walk in and take it from there.”  OR “God I really don’t know which way to go, so could you shed some light on the situation by opening a door.”   Several years ago, we had a friend that had a real desire to pastor a church.   He labored faithfully in the church he attended, but he believed that one day God was going to “open the door” for him to pastor a congregation. Downstate, a pastor of a church resigned and excitedly, we called to let him know of the opening.  He would not enquire or pursue the possibility of becoming this congregation’s pastor because his vision of an “open door” included a phone call from a stranger, telling him that God had spoken and they were calling to tell him that he was supposed to be the pastor of this church.  That scenario didn’t happen and this wonderful minister friend is still not pastoring a church.  Had God led him to a door but he stood there waiting for it to open because HE THOUGHT IT WAS AUTOMATIC?

Every day, we are confronted with doors.  Some are not meant for us to open, other doors may be ajar or wide open and welcoming, but most doors we face are closed, requiring a little effort on our part.  Instead of praying for God to “open the door,” perhaps our prayer should be for God to “open our eyes” to the doors that are before us. 

Now that God has “opened your eyes” to all the doors He has put in your path, take the time to read the posted signs.  Don’t just stand there assuming THE DOOR IS AUTOMATIC, if the sign says PUSH then PUSH; if it says PULL then PULL.  It may be one of those crazy “REVOLVING DOORS” that kids love and adults hate.  If that is the door God presents, jump in…just don’t forget to walk as you push.  Finally, God may lead you to an AUTOMATIC DOOR.  If that happens, wait for the door to open, then walk in; God isn’t going to carry you over the threshold.  GET READY!!! You are about to face more doors than you ever imagined; just don’t ASSUME THEY WILL ALL BE AUTOMATIC.