Strength for Today

Last night (and early this morning) we were in a cornfield gazing up at the skies watching a meteor shower. It was really something. We drove nearly 30 miles (with the help of Google Earth and a GPS) to where the skies were darkest, away from all the "light pollution" of Joplin, just to watch the show. As we sat there in our lawn chairs, hearing nothing but a bullfrog in a pond somewhere close, my thoughts were threefold. (1) God is a marvelous Creator. "He also made the stars" are the five words allotted to the creation of the stars in Genesis 1:16. The stars are the work of His fingers. He flung them into space and there they are today for us to behold. The Milky Way, The Big Dipper, The North Star ~ all there thousands of years later. "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiowrk" (Psa. 19:1). (2) I thought of my parents, and tens of thousands of other believers, who are now safe "beyond the stars." They are with God in His home above ~ the third Heaven of which the Bible speaks. How long did it take for them to get there when they died? "Just one sigh and we are there" was Charles Spurgeon's answer. Jesus went to Heaven to prepare a place for us. They are there. Some day we shall join them on our "Flight Final" beyond the stars. (3) I am but a particle on this planet. Yet God cares for me. David said, "When I consider Your Heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him...?" (Psa. 8:3, 4). How mindful is that? Consider the words of an old hymn:  "From heaven He came and sought her to be His holy bride; with His own blood He bought her, and for her life He died" (The Church's One Foundation, Samuel J. Stone). You were worth coming for; you were worth dying for. And some day, perhaps today, Jesus will return from Heaven to take us home forevermore. "Come, Lord Jesus!"

Sometimes we get a little discouraged when we read the newspapers, listen to the radio, or see on the news that the economy continues to spiral and that sin is abounding more and more. Well, today I want to remind you that . . .

Almighty God is still on His throne and is in full control of affairs of the universe.
The Bible is still the Word of God and will never change; what God has said is still the truth and will be forever.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
The Holy Spirit is our mighty comforter and is still in the business of convicting the world of sin, righteousness and judgment to come.
The Church is still the bride of Christ and not even the gates of hell can prevail against this church divine.
Prayer remains a great privilege and our greatest weapon against the enemy.
Heaven is still the promised home of the believer and it will be worth it all when we see Jesus!

"Look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near" ~ Luke 21:28

"What have they seen in your house?" (2 Kings 20:15) This is an interesting question. Isaiah the prophet asked it of Hezekiah the king. Hezekiah had foolishly allowed envoys from Babylon to inspect his house. "There was nothing in his house...that he did not show them" (v. 13). This rash act would be like inviting a professional cat burgler to inspect your home. Isaiah informed Hezekiah that everything in his house and in his dominion would be carried off into captivity (v. 17), even his sons, who would be turned into eunuchs (v. 18). It is not a wise thing to invite enemies into your house for a "house inspection."

But the question posed to Hezekiah, I think, is still a good one: "What have they seen in your house?" When we invite people (not burglers or home invaders) into our home, what do they see? Do they see hospitality, kindness, mercy, love, forgiveness, and other Christian traits? Do they see any Bibles laid out? Would they see a picture of Christ or a passage of Scripture framed on the wall? My wife has always stenciled a short verse on the fireplace mantle whereever we have lived. The home we are living in right now has one that reads: "God is our refuge and strength." Many people have commented on it. Above the sink she always has a memory verse on a 3x5 card. These are little things but people take notice. "What have they seen in your house?" That is a good question for us today. Would you pass a "house inspection" from God?

Even the great apostle Paul needed prayer and often asked for others to prayer for him. For example, after penning that powerful passage on The Whole Armour of God (Eph. 6:10-17) Paul concludes on a personal note. "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints -- and for me..." (v. 18, 19a). If one such as Paul would ask for the prayers of others, how about you and me? I often feel that the only thing that got me through the day or a week was the prayers of others. Somebody prayed for me. An old Negro spiritual goes something like this. "Somebody prayed, somebody prayed, somebody prayed for me. Got down on their knees, Yes, I do believe, Somebody prayed for me." There is great power in intercessory prayer. We ought to pray for others. We need to know that others are praying for us. Let others know that you are praying for them. Somebody told me that just the other day. It humbled me. It helped me! It may just help them make it through another day of life. As Paul asked, "Brethren, pray for us" (1 Thess. 5:25).

In the Old Testament, we have Jesus predicted.

In the Gospels, we have Jesus revealed.

In the Acts of the Apostles, we have Jesus preached.

In the Epistles, we have Jesus explained.

In the Revelation, we have Jesus expected.

~ Alistair Begg, Scottish evangelist and broadcaster

Where we live (Joplin, Missouri) it has been a very hot summer. Recently we had three straight days of 100-plus temperatures. The yards were burning up and gardens were withering. Then the rains came! It is amazing how quickly the yards greened up and the gardens looked better. That is God's stimulus package for nature. It gets there in time and it does its work. The welcome rain and its attendant results reminded me of a song we used to sing in church, "Showers of Blessing." Maybe it has been awhile since you have heard those words, so here they are ~ your "Strength for Today" as it were. They are based upon the biblical account of a long drought ending with a mighty rainfall in Elijah's time (1 Kings 18:41-46), "the sound of abundance of rain."

"There shall be showers of blessing:" This is the promise of love;
There shall be seasons refreshing, Sent from the Savior above.

CHORUS
Showers of blessing, Showers of blessing we need:
Mercy-drops round us are falling, But for the showers we plead.

"There shall be showers of blessing" ~ Precious, reviving again;
Over the hills and the valleys, Sound of abundance of rain.

"There shall be showers of blessing:" Send them upon us, O Lord;
Grant to us now a refreshing, Come, and now honor Thy Word.

"There shall be showers of blessing:" Oh, that today they might fall,
Now as to God we're confessing, Now as on Jesus we call!

Ever have a song running through your head but you couldn't remember all of the words? That happened to me yesterday. On my morning walk I started humming, then singing, a few lines from a song I remembered hearing when I was in Bible college in the 60s, "Sooner or Later." Some friends on Facebook reminded me that my music teacher, Margaret Hunt, and two of her former students at Midwestern, The Gee Twins, had recorded that on an LP record. Another friend sent me the lyrics, written by one Lula W. Koch in 1957. The song is based on Revelation 21:4, "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." I wish I could convey the tune to you because it is a beautiful one.

Sooner or later, the skies will be bright,
Tears will be all wiped away;
Sooner or later, then cometh the light,
Night will be turned into day.

CHORUS
Sooner or later, cares will have flown
Sunshine and gladness we'll see;
Sooner or later, God calleth His own,
With Him forever to be.

Sooner or later, our Lord knows the hour,
He'll send His beloved Son;
Sooner or later, in His might and pow'r,
Our battles all will be won.

Sooner or later, yes, sooner for some,
Darkness will all then be past;
Sooner or later, our Savior will come,
With Him will your lot be cast?

"Good and evil both increase at compound interest. That is why the little decisions you and I make every day are of such infinite importance. The smallest good act today is the capture of a strategic point from which, a few months later, you may be able to go on to victories you never dreamed of. An apparent trivial indulgence in lust or anger today is the loss of a ridge or railway line or bridgehead from which the enemy may launch an attack otherwise impossible." ~ C. S. Lewis

May God help you to make those "little decisions" today that will give you the edge over the enemy.

When I was young, I ran in track for Goldfield (IA) High School. I was a sprinter, not a distance runner. In those days the measurements were in yards, not meters. So I ran the 50-yard dash, the 100-yard dash, and the 220-yard run (it was called a run then, not a dash). That was the distance I also ran in the mile medley. But today I walk, rather than run. Remember the Ventures' song, "Walk, Don't Run"? That's what I do today. I can't sprint anymore, but I can still walk. Spiritually, the Bible endorses both. "But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint" (Isa. 40:31). The Christian race is a marathon, not a sprint. We need God to "renew our strength." In order to have that happen we must "wait on the Lord." Then we can "run and not be weary." Then we can "walk and not faint." And some day, believe it or not, we shall fly! We shall "mount up with wings as eagles." Soaring in the power of the Lord! An old hymn says: "Not to the strong is the battle, not to the swift is the race; but to the true and the faithful, vic'try is promised through grace." Today let us be true and faithful whether we are walking, running, or just taking our stand for the Lord. Amen and amen!

"Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28). Someone has said, "Have you ever stopped to think that Christ never gave anyone money? The riches of the world were His for the taking and His to give away, yet when the poor and the hungry came to Him, He didn't give them money, and He rarely gave them food; He gae them love and service and the greatest gift of all ~ Himself." How different from politicians who mindlessly throw money at everything, thinking that the almighty dollar (just think about that term for a moment! is the solutions to the problems of mankind. To the best of my knowledge Jesus never gave anyone money. Why? He knew that would not solve their problems. He offered them rest, the water of life, a home in heaven, but He never gave them money. I wonder why Washington D. C. thinks that is the solution to our problems?