Strength for Today

It has now been more than 40 years since I conducted a revival meeting in the little town of Roberts Cove, Louisiana, not far from the city of Crowley, Louisiana. If I remember correctly, we got off to a great start with seven responses to the message the first day of the meeting. But what I remember is a song service, as they were called in those days. The song leader led the congregation in the old hymn written by James Rowe, "I Was Sinking Deep in Sin." But when we got to the chorus, he had us sing "Christ lifted me!" rather than what was written in the hymnal -- "Love lifted me!" He said it made it more personal and I think he was right. How did love lift us when we were sinking deep in sin? How did love lift us from the waters when we were sinking "far from the peaceful shore"? Was it not through Christ, "the Master of the Sea," who heard our "despairing cry" and lifted us from our perilous condition? Just as the Good Samaritan had compassion for the traveler who had been wounded and left for dead, reaching down and lifting him up, so our Lord saw our beaten condition, had compassion on us, reached down and lifted us up. Peter experienced this first hand on the Sea of Galilee. He was literally sinking when our loving Lord rescued Him. Peter's mother-in-law also was literally lifted up from her bed of sickness by the living, loving Christ. Today He remains the great lifter (Mark 1:31; 9:27). "Souls in danger, look above, Jesus completely saves; He will lift you by His love, Out of the angry waves. He's the Master of the Sea, billows His will obey; He your Savior wants to be -- be saved today."

Charles Haddon Spurgeon said, "I have heard of Latter-day Saints; I far more admire Every-day saints." Christianity is not a weekly, monthly or annual regimen. An old song says, "I want to be more than a Sunday-go-to-meetin' Christian; I want a religion that thrills me through and through." Real Christianity is an every-day affair. It has been this way from the outset of Christianity. "So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being added to the church" (Acts 2:47). At church camp I used to sing, "Every day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before. Every day with Jesus, I love Him more and more." God daily loads us with benefits (Psa. 68:19). Daily He should be praised (Psa. 72:15). David called daily upon God (Psa. 88:9). Jesus taught us to pray, "Give us this day our daily bread" (Matt. 6:11). We are to take up our cross daily and follow Him (Luke 9:23). Are you getting the picture of being an "every-day saint?" "Daily in the temple, and in every house" the early Christians preached Christ (Acts 5:42). They knew nothing of a weak, weekly "Sunday-go-to-meetin'" Christianity. They were "every-day saints." This is why the early church "increased in number daily" (Acts 16:5). You cannot be an occasional church and expect to see daily results. They "searched the Scriptures daily" (Acts 17:11). They exhorted one another daily (Heb. 3:13). Spurgeon was right. "I have heard of Latter-day Saints; I far more admire Every-day saints." God blesses us every day. Satan battles us every day. People need the Lord every day. So, starting today, let us be an "Every-day saint!"

Mistakes. We all make them. Some people learn from their mistakes and others repeat them day after day. I believe God wants us to learn from our mistakes. This is what prayer is for. This is what confession is for. This is what the Holy Spirit is for. This is what our Savior is for. "Ask the Savior to help you, comfort, strengthen, and keep you; He is willing to aid you, He will carry your through" (Horatio Palmer). Now, here, according to Sermonhall.com, are nine mistakes to avoid.
1. Remorse over yesterdays failures.
2. Anxiety over today's problems.
3. Worry over tomorrow's uncertainty.
4. Procrastination with one's present duty.
5. Resentment of another's success.
6. Criticism of a neighbor's imperfections.
7. Impatience with youth's imperfection.
8. Skepticism of our nation's fate.
9. Unbelief in God's providence.
So remember: "To him that o'ercometh God giveth a crown, Through faith we shall conquer, though often cast down; He, who is our Savior, our strength will renew; Look ever to Jesus -- He will carry you through (Horatio Palmer, "Yield Not to Temptation").

What was the first written command to Christians? I mean, the first order, the first directive to these people called Christians? To know the answer to this question we must know the first written document in those books we call the New Testament Scriptures. And that would be the book of James, written as early as in the mid to late 40s. It preceded Galatians and 1 & 2 Thessalonians by a few years. So James has the first written directive to believers. And it is a BIG one -- an extremely important one. Let's look at it, OK? "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience" (James 1:2). The epistle of James was written to Jewish Christians -- "to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad" (v. 1). This may the only copy of Scripture they ever received. And the first order of the day -- the first written directive they receive is this: "Consider it PURE JOY, by brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance" (NIV). From the outset, God wants us to be a people of joy. He lets us know right out of the gate that we will face trials and testings of many kinds (physical, spiritual, emotional, mental, marital, financial, et al), but through it all the attitude of JOY will carry us through. Are you a joyful Christian? Do you face life with a smile or with a sigh? As the Blackwood Brothers sang, "Give the world a smile each day, helping someone on life's way." Or, as Paul would later write (in his "epistle of joy"), "Rejoice in the Lord always. And again I will say, rejoice!" (Phil. 4:4). And he wrote that from prison! Yes, from the very outset of Christianity, God directes us be be filled with joy no matter what. There's no excuse for being morose. Rejoice!

I became a Christian when I was 12 years old. My parents gave me a brand new Bible and how I did treasure that Book divine! I wish I still had it. I have had many Bibles since, but there is something special about that first Bible. I think of the many people in the world who have yet to own their first copy of the Scriptures and my heart goes out to them in sympathy. What a timeless treasure we have in the Word of God! King David said, "More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them Your servant is warned, and in keeping them there is great reward" (Psa. 19:10-11).

John Burton put it this way in his hymn "Holy Bible, Book Divine." Holy Bible, book divine, precious treasure, thou art mine; Mine to tell me whence I came; Mine to teach me what I am. Mine to chide me when I rove; Mine to show a Savior's love; Mine thou art to guide and guard; Mine to punish or reward. Mine to comfort in distress; Suffering in this wilderness; Mine to show by living faith, Man can triumph over death. Mine to tell of joys to come, And the rebel sinner's doom; O thou holy book divine, Precious treasure, thou art mine!" Indeed, what a precious treasure we have in the Holy Word of God! We need it. Let us read it and heed it all the days of our lives.

My doctor wants me to lose 20 pounds before Christmas, so I have resumed my morning walk. We live next to a track at Columbia Elementary and I walk around it six times each morning. This morning I finished the last three laps in the rain. It was pleasant. I had to take a shower later anyway! I wonder what it was like for Adam and Eve to walk with God in the Garden of Eden in the cool of the day? We know a little more about walking with Deity from the experience of the two men on the Road to Emmaus when they walked with the Risen Christ. "Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while he opened the Scripture to us?" (Luke 24:32). Tere is a grand old hymn we used to sing in church, "O Master, Let Me Walk With Thee." Savor the words, slow and sweet.

O Master, let me walk with Thee / In lowly paths of service free / Tell me Thy secret; help me to bear / The strain of toil; the fret of care.
Help me the slow of heart to move / By some clear, winning word of love / Teach me the wayward feet to stay / And guide them in the homeward way.
Teach me Thy patience! still with Thee / In closer, dearer company / In work that keeps faith sweet and strong / In trust that triumphs over wrong.
In hope that sends a shining ray / Far down the future's broad'ning way / In peace that only Thou canst give / With Thee, O Master, let me live.        ~ W. Gladden

The Bible describes the church as "the house of God" (1 Tim. 3:15; Heb. 10:21; 1 Pet. 4:17). The House of God has only one speaker. The Speaker of the House of God is His Son, Jesus Christ. You and I are not the Speaker of the House. The church is the Body of Christ but Jesus Christ is its mouth, it voice. You and I are not the voice of the church. Where Jesus has spoken, we echo Him. Where the Speaker of the House is silent, we will be silent. Just think how many church problems this would solve! Speakers (plural) of the House lead to chaos and division. Having just the Speaker of the House will lead to growth and unity. Let God be God and let the Speaker of the House speak for all. Amen and amen!

"So Abram departed as the LORD had spoken to him . . . " (Gen. 12:4). In fact, "He went out, not knowing where he wqs going" (Heb. 11:8). This is faith. This is Abrahamic adventure! In his book The Gift of the Jews: How a Tribe of Desert Nomads Changed the Way Everyone Thinks and Feels (Doubleday, 1998), Thomas Cahill writes, "There is no reason to think that Avram (Abram) knew where he was going or anything more than what his god had told him - that he was to 'go forth' (the Hebrew imperative lekh-lekha has an insistent immediacy that English cannot duplicate) on a journey of no return to 'the land that I will' show you . . . So, wayyelekh Avram ("Avram went") - two of the boldest words in all literature. They signal a complete departure from everything that has gone before in the long evolution of culture and sensibility. Out of Sumer, civilized repository of the predictable, comes a man who does not know where he is going but goes forth into the unknown wilderness under the prompting of his god." Cahill goes on to imagine what others would have said of Abram's journey: they would have laughed at his madness, they would have shaken their heads in disbelief, they would have advised not to overreach, to comeback to resignation, to merely sit and compose yourself by the river of life. But not so, Abram. And I hope not so, you and me! Let us live the life of Abrahamic adventure. God still says "Get out of your country, from your kindred, and from your father's house, to a land I will show you." Who will go in the spirit of Abraham?

Sometimes I hear people say, "I don't go to church because I have not found the right kind of church yet." I would direct these people to 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10. The great apostle Paul tells us what kind of church existed in Thessalonica. I believe their kind exists today.
1. It was a working church. Paul mentions their works of faith and labors of love and patience of hope (v. 3).
2. It was a receptive church. They received the Word of God with joy, even though it involved affliction (v. 6).
3. It was an exemplary church. They became good examples to all believers (v. 7).
4. It was a mission-minded church. From them sounded forth the Word of the Lord in Macedonia, Achaia, and everywhere (v. 8).
5. It was an expectant church. All their members were waiting expectantly for the return of Christ (v. 10).
The church of the Thessalonians was the right kind of church. They were a working, receptive, exemplary, mission-minded, expectant church. Find a church like them and you have found the right church!

My surgery turned out to be longer than expected (three hours) but the preliminary results are good: the tumor appears to be benign. As for me, I am now home resting and recuperating fof 7-10 days. I want to share with you some thoughts I had before going into surgery. A little chorus I learned in Christian Service Camp back in the 60s kept running through my mind. "Why worry, when you can pray? Trust Jesus, He'll be your stay. Don't be a 'doubting Thomas.' Rest fully on His promise. Why worry, worry, worry, worrry, when you can pray!" I also found comforting in quoting a portion of the 37th Psalm, one I have read to many people in hospitals before. "Trust in the LORD . . . Delight yourself also in the LORD . . . Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass . . . Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him . . . Do not fret ~ it only causes harm" (vs. 3 - 8). One of the last verses I quoted before I went under was Philippians 4:6, 7: "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Yes, Christ stood with me in the surgery room and fulfilled His promises!