Keep your head up…

I have been working on a sermon to preach this Sunday. It’s entitled, “Where is God?” I don’t want to get into my sermon but I will touch on it some. I hope you never experience this in your spiritual walk because it is a miserable place to be but do you know anyone who has walked close to the Lord and for whatever reason, it seems as though that walk grew dim until it seemed God was nowhere to be found. It’s hard to cry out to God only to hear silence and it seems like He is not listening and is nowhere to be found. The reality of it all is, He is near, He does care, and He will come through, just hold on and try to keep your head up. I thought about Israel. WOW! Put yourself in their shoes for a minute. Here you are, God’s chosen people. He has chosen you to establish His name. He has given you His law. He has blessed you beyond anything imaginable. Zechariah 2:8 says that you are the apple of God’s eye. He has given you an abundance of blessings that you did nothing to get! He established His dwelling place, the tabernacle (and temple) in your midst. He has visited you in the form of a cloud on several occasions. He has spoken to you through the fathers and the prophets. Life is good.
But one day it took a turn for the worse. It’s not God’s fault, it’s ours. Because of sin (2 Chronicles 36) God allowed the Babylonian army to come in and destroy Jerusalem, including the temple. They killed women, children, men, grandmaws and grandpaws…anybody and everybody. To get a glimpse of just how bad it was read Psalm 74 and 79. The ones who survived were carried away and led into captivity. For the next seventy years God would be silent. I think I would be asking, “Where are you at God?” or “What’s going on here?” and they did. Of course they blamed God and questioned Him, much like we do when we are going through hard times.
But now for the good part of this story. The book of Ezra, chapter one, tells that Cyrus allowed the captives to go back to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple and their city so they can worship again. Ezra, chapter three, tells us what happened. They started rebuilding the temple and they rebuilt the foundation. Ezra 3:11 says, “And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the LORD: “For He is good, For His mercy endures forever toward Israel.” Then all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.” Most of them were so excited! Why? Because they are back home, rebuilding the place they love, and soon, worship would be restored. They, once again, would be able to make their sacrifices and enter into the presence of God. God has not forgotten them. He is blessing them once again. Let me encourage you by telling you that God has not forgotten you! He is there! He is with you, right by your side. Keep your head up and don’t give up! I will leave you with James 1:12 (NLT) God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

Don’t go there!

We were at Dollywood this weekend and my wife and two sons went on a water ride while dad stayed at bay with our daughter. She is 17 months old and very smart. We played around for a little while around the entrance/ exit waiting for the family to get off the ride. There were some ducks there and they provided some entertainment for a little while. My wife and kids decided they wanted to ride this ride several times and my daughter was getting bored with the ducks so she decides to run around the area. It was crowded that day, but thankfully no one ran over her. In fact, they got a lot of laughs out of the experience. There came a time when ole dad had to take a break, so I just sat and watched her from a short distance and ate some M and M’s. My daughter proceeded to go toward the entrance of the ride. I gently told her “no,” and she turned around and looked at me like, “Oh yea? We’ll see about that…” And she stood there looking at me, waiting me out to see what I would do. After a few seconds and thinking all is well, she took a step backward without taking her eyes off of me. It’s as if she was saying, “I wonder if I can get away with this much?” again, I said, “No,” but this time it had some umph to it. We stared at each other for a few seconds, and she did it again! But this time she turned and took off! I had to chase after her. She was making a break for it and thought it was funny. I caught her and pulled her up into my arms and gave her a big kiss and we just giggled together. Then she started asking for momma.
As a child of God I know I have a Father who loves me. He doesn’t have a leash on me like an animal and He allows me freedom. I am free to make my own choices, to do what I want, and go where I want. But sometimes I make bad choices that get me in trouble. Sure, I know they are wrong. I know it’s going to get me in deep trouble, but I test the waters. Like my daughter did, I take a step back and I hear the Holy Spirit saying, “Don’t go there! Don’t do it!” Sometimes I listen, but there are times when I ignore God and do it any way. Does God come after me with a whip ready to beat me down? No. He gently reaches down and grabs me, loves on me, and sets me back in a safe place. Are you “testing the waters”? Are you seeing just what God will let you get away with? He’s going to let you play the game but whenever you have had enough, remember, His grace is sufficient. He loves you and He is waiting to take you back. He wants to set you in a safe place. I want to encourage you to read the story of the prodigal son found in Luke 15:11-32. This story illustrates the heart of our heavenly Father. Quit playing games with God and let Him love on you for a while. Randy

the storm

Last Friday we had to take my son to Vanderbilt for an EEG. It had been raining all morning and it was to get stormy as the day went on. After our appointment was over we went and checked out “the dragon”. “The dragon” was a play area my youngest son had noticed from the window of our doctor’s waiting room. “The dragon” turned out to be a little play area on the sixth floor, but it was outside. There was a little dragon, a castle, and some swings. We were out there for a few minutes and it started getting dark. Then it came…a big rumble of thunder in the background. Then I saw some lightening so we headed inside. I forgot to mention that the tornado sirens had been going off the whole time we were out there. After being raised in West Tennessee where it seems tornadoes come through every day I didn’t think a whole lot about it but my six year old was concerned. He kept saying, “Let’s get out of this town!” My wife and I tried to explain that he was in the best place he could be if a tornado hit! He was at a hospital with a bunch of doctors! But all he could see was that dark cloud and all he could hear was the tornado sirens (by the way, it was the cloud that the tornado in Murfreesboro came out of, that’s why the sirens were sounding so he had a right to be scared. It was just minutes away!). We could never convince him that he was safe while we were there. It wasn’t until we got in our vehicle and drove to Nanny’s that he felt safe.
How many times have we acted just like my child? Think about it. We are surrounded by storms every day. We are faced with struggles on every side, every which way we turn. The sirens are blaring in our ears telling us to take cover and all we can think is, “I’ve got to get out of this place!” But what we fail to see is that we are in the best place we could be! We are safe in the arms of Jesus. We are hidden beneath His wings of love, sheltered by His fortress. He is not up in a cloud somewhere or sitting up in heaven watching everything going on! No! He is right here beside us…in us…in the midst of His people. We, who call on His name, have a rock that cannot be moved! There is no use in going somewhere else to find safety or to get away from the storms. He will walk with us through it! Isaiah 43:1-5a says But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: “ Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in your place. Since you were precious in My sight, You have been honored, And I have loved you; Therefore I will give men for you, And people for your life. Fear not, for I am with you…No. Don’t fear the storms, don’t run from the storms, don’t run away from God, walk with Him through the storm, He will help you through. If you are “in Christ (Colossians 2:6-12)” you are in the safest place you can be. Trust Him. It was hard for my son to trust what we were telling him but he did. The storm passed and he was safe. Your storm will soon pass. Keep the faith and trust Him. Randy

He's out of here!

He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay (Matthew 28:6). It’s as simple as this: do you believe or not? Maybe you’re like Thomas who wasn’t there with the other disciples the first time Jesus came into the room and showed them His hands and side. They tried to tell Thomas that Jesus was not dead and that He really was alive but he would not listen. He said, “"Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it (John 20:25)." And it’s like Jesus just toyed with Thomas for a little while because in the very next verse we see where Jesus waited eight days before showing up again with Thomas being present this time. He goes straight to Thomas, “Here you go! See My hands? Want to touch My side? Do not be unbelieving but believing.” This is the key. Be believing.
If you can take out the resurrection then you have killed Christianity. Without the resurrection Christianity is just a fluke and it’s just a religion. Which in turn, makes people like me weirdoes. Well, some people consider me a weirdo anyway, but the resurrection is absolute truth. It really happened. It is what gives us our hope. Jesus came out of the tomb in three days alive, ascended back to the Father in Heaven, and sent down the Holy Spirit to guide us as we walk with God. Take a look at 1 Corinthians 15:1-8 for further reading. Revelation 1:17-18 Jesus says to John, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.” Through Jesus we have victory over death! It is NOT over when we take our last breath. There is an eternity waiting on the other side! And through Jesus, we can have life with God everlasting. If we reject Him, we will spend it with Satan, in everlasting torment. Do you believe or not? It doesn’t really matter if you do or don’t! It doesn’t change things at all. If you choose not to believe, then God is still God, the resurrection has still happened, people are dying everyday, and eternity still waits on the other side. The reality of it all is YOU will soon find out that it is real and YOU will wish that YOU had believed! I’ll leave you with the words of Jesus to Thomas in John 20:29, “Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Randy

Peace to you...

Peace. Is that something you have or do you live in fear, worry, and dread? Can you imagine being one of the followers of Jesus, you just witnessed Him being crucified by the Romans, and now it could be your turn! They had a right be afraid. They had no idea if the soldiers would come to their house, knock on their door, and carry them away to be beaten or even put to death. We find them huddled together in a house, the door shut and locked…why? John 20:19 says they were afraid of the Jews. Jesus appears in the room and the first words out of His mouth is not “hello” or “it’s me, good to see ya”…no…His first words are “PEACE BE WITH YOU.” After showing them His hands and His side and allowing them to rejoice for a few minutes, Jesus repeats these words, “Peace to you…” After all He is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). How relaxing this must have been. They have gone from hope to no hope and now back to hope!
There is no peace like God’s peace. Listen to what Paul says in Philippians 4:7 …and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. David understood this concept. If you read the book of Psalms it won’t be long until you read how David is surrounded by people who hate him and want him dead. But in the midst of his trials and tribulations he cries out to God to rescue him, to be his rock, and his hiding place. He asks that God will give him strength and deliver him from his enemies. He understands God’s peace. We will never understand God. His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8). Our way of thinking is limited. God is not. For example, we don’t know what is going happen in the next few seconds. God knows what will happen 100 years down the road. But we can understand god’s peace. We can experience God’s peace and when we do, there is no other place you would want to be. This world is full of turmoil and strive, we need God’s peace. I don’t know how people make it without it. Again, listen to what Paul said, “God’s peace will guard our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. No matter how bad things get, we don’t have to worry or fret. We will be alright. Another example for you. The apostle James has just been beheaded in Acts 12:1-2. Peter was next. He has been arrested but he has to wait in jail a week because of Passover. I would be going absolutely crazy knowing that I can’t see my family and in a few days, they wouldn’t have their provider anymore. Who is going to take care of them? But not Peter. Acts 12:6 says that Peter was chained between two guards sleeping. That is the peace of God. What troubles are you facing today? As I am typing this I sit in a waiting room at Vanderbilt hospital waiting for my ten year old son to have an EEG for his epilepsy. As I walked the hallways going back and forth to the car and sit in this room I have seen several children with disabilities that is worse than what we face. God, give them peace. As we live our day to day lives in this troublesome world full of heartache, pain, and sorrow, give us Your PEACE. Randy

...mourning to dancing!

Have you ever saw something that just amazed you and you had to do a double take just to make sure what you saw was real? Mary Madalene did a double take on this morning. Peter and John decided to go home after discovering that Jesus’ body was really missing. After they confirmed Mary’s story it was hard…hard to lift up their heads. But not Mary, no, she had to take just one more look in the tomb. This time it was different. There was something their besides the linen clothes! Angels! Not one but two! One at the place where Jesus’ head was and one at the place where His feet had been. They ask her, “Woman, why are you crying?” What the English doesn’t show us here is that this was more than just a few tears, this was a wailing. A cry so hard and deep that Mary was in pain. The Greek word is klaiðw (pronounced klah'-yo) which means to wail as in pain. She was tore up. Think about it…she had seven demons that tormented her life cast out by this man Jesus and she has followed Him for quite some time now. They were very good friends and He brought her life joy, peace, and she felt as though she belonged but now He is gone! Listen to her reply from John 20:14 and you’ll understand what I mean , “She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” Did you catch that? Mary said, “my Lord.” This implies that she was a slave (Greek-doulos) of Christ’s. Not in a bad sense but a good sense. A slave has lost all of their will to their master’s and the master now has control of the slave. Paul said he was a slave of Christ in Romans 1:1. Mary had given Christ her life. She was His follower, willing to obey His every command but now He is gone. She has no idea what to do next. So she turns as if to leave the tomb, evidently not realizing to whom she was talking to, and runs smack dab right into Jesus! But here’s the kicker: she didn’t realize it was Him! She thought He was the gardener. There could be several reasons for this like she was so distraught over Jesus being gone that she wasn’t thinking right. Maybe she never looked up at Him. I think it has more to do with Jesus’ appearance. I’ll explain. Isaiah 52:14 tells us that Jesus visage (appearance) was marred more than any mans. This would come from the beating He took before the cross and all the torture He suffered the soldiers, i.e. beard ripped off, crown of thorns, the flogging, etc. We know Jesus had the scars from the spear being thrust in His side and the nails being put into His hands but don’t you think that if He had those scars He would have had the others as well? And maybe that’s why Mary didn’t recognize Him! But when Jesus called her by her name she knew exactly who He was! “TEACHER!” she exclaimed! And she grabbed onto Him and wasn’t letting go! And Jesus tells her that she cannot cling to Him and that she needed to go and tell the others that He will be returning unto God the Father. And as a true disciple, she does what she is told, (John 20:18) “Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her.” No more tears. It’s back to joy and laughter and she races back to town and finds her comrades and tells them of this great news, “HE IS ALIVE!” Does Jesus have control of you? If not, let Him. It will be the greatest decision you ever made. He will turn your mourning into dancing! Psalm 30:11 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness…Randy

Jesus is now dead. He has been buried by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus in a borrowed tomb. What do you do now? It’s the Sabbath Day and all you can do is sit around and think about what has just taken place! You can’t work to keep your mind off of it. So it is no wonder that John 20 starts off with Mary Magdalene being at the tomb before the sun even began to rise. This woman beat the roosters out of bed! And what does she see as she arrives to the tomb? The stone had been rolled away from the entrance! And not only that but she has discovered that Jesus’ body is missing! What’s her first thought? Somebody has taken Jesus! What’s next? How could this have happened? Crucifying Him wasn’t enough? Now they have done something with His body! So she does what any person would do…she runs to tell the other followers what has taken place. Now you have to understand something here before we go any further. Jewish culture in the days of Jesus did not favor women very well (with the exception of Christianity-there are many woman mentioned throughout the New Testament and they were more esteemed). It’s not much better even in our own today. So it would be really hard to believe a woman’s story, especially of this magnitude. Not only that but think about who this woman is…Mary Magdalene who had seven demons cast out of her (Luke 8:2-3). Can you imagine what the disciples thought as she told this message to them? “This woman is nuts! She must have those demons again because she has lost her mind,” could possibly be what they thought. And the pursuit is on as John and Peter runs to the tomb to confirm her words. Sure enough…the stone is rolled away and the tomb is empty. And to top it off, the burial clothes are laying there. John 20:8 says that Peter and John “saw and believed.” I don’t think they believed the resurrection had taken place, I think they believed Mary’s story now. They have saw it with their own eyes. Hence John 20:9 reads, “For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead.” Aren’t we the same way? Some things are just hard to believe or understand unless we see it for ourselves. We must have hard evidence…proof or we just write it off and go on about our business. God had used a woman, who had seven demons cast out of her, to be the first person to proclaim, “HE IS RISEN!” We are faced with the same decision as Peter and John had…do we believe her story? If we say yes then we are held accountable with what we do with it. If we believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ then we must act on it. We must be clothed with Him and walk daily with Him so that we can go to heaven when our life is over here on earth. If we write her story off and say, “I don’t believe it really happened” then we will still be held accountable someday…Give your life to Christ and live for Him before it’s too late. Don’t take a chance on eternity. There is no turning back or second chances after you leave this world. Randy

Spiritual giants

I really like John’s account of what took place when Jesus was betrayed, crucified, buried, and the resurrection. The first thing I would like to point out is how ironic it is that the religious leaders in Jesus’ day were suppose to be pointing people to God and being an example yet they were face to face with God Himself and chose to KILL him! They were so obsessed with keeping laws and keeping clean hands yet they had Jesus’ blood all over them. On the day of the crucifixion the only thing they were concerned about was getting Jesus killed and buried before the Sabbath which started at 6pm that same day Jesus was hung on the cross. John 19:31 (NLT) says, “It was the day of preparation, and the Jewish leaders didn’t want the bodies hanging there the next day, which was the Sabbath (and a very special Sabbath, because it was the Passover). So they asked Pilate to hasten their deaths by ordering that their legs be broken. Then their bodies could be taken down.”
You may say like me, “How stupid can you be?” But before we say anything let’s look at ourselves. As Christians we are commanded to “study” and “show ourselves approved unto God” (2 Timothy 2:15). As we study God’s Word our faith increases (Romans 10:17) and our mind is renewed and we discover as well as know what the Will of God is (Romans 12:1-2). As we grow we become mature in our faith and we leave childish things behind (1 Corinthians 13:11). But with that maturity comes responsibility. We are told in scripture that if we see a brother stumble we are to help them. We are NEVER told in scripture to become the “spiritual police”. Throughout my years in ministry I have witnessed mature Christians acting like the Pharisees and Sadducees. Instead of pointing the way to God and showing the love of Christ they become a watch dog and they bash the one who is in sin. I have heard these “spiritual giants” tell people how they are going to hell and how they need to live their lives. Oh yea…that really works. Go blast a sinner who already can’t stand God and His ways…that’s the way to win them to the Lord! They live by a bunch of rules and regulations instead of the having the heart of Christ. Unlike Christ, if someone doesn’t “follow the rules” exactly like them, they are condemned. How sad! It’s just like the religious leaders in Jesus’ day. Jesus went against their rules and they called Him “the devil.” Then they manipulated the people and the Romans to crucify Him. They didn’t have the heart of God. They just had a bunch of rules. They had no grace or mercy. What about you? Are you a mighty spiritual giant just waiting to condemn those who don’t dress like you, talk like you, look like you? Are you just waiting for someone to make a wrong move so you can slam them with the Bible? If so, go and get a heart transplant. Get a heart from God because the God I know and serve is nothing like that. He is full of grace and mercy. He is patient, loving, and kind. Although He hates sin, He loves the sinner and He reaches out to them with loving arms. We should do the same. This world has enough hate in it. It doesn’t need more from God’s people. I’ll leave you with Philippians 2:5-8 (NLT) You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges, he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

search me, O God...

If you knew that you would be dead by Friday at 3pm, would you change anything about your life or the way you live it? Jesus told His disciples that He would be betrayed and that He would be killed. And Jesus knew this day was drawing ever so close as He entered into Jerusalem on the donkey in Matthew 21. Some of those same people that cried out, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” would soon be crying out, “Crucify Him!” No, Jesus didn’t have to change the way He lived. He was perfect and did no wrong unlike you and me. But He DID know that He was about to become our sin offering to God and that He was about to feel the horrible pain of being separated from the Father for the very first time! Not to mention the physical pain He was about to face. Jesus knew that in a few short days His time on earth was done. His work would be completed. Man would have an opportunity to be redeemed back to God through Hid sacrifice. That’s why Jesus cried out, “IT IS FININISHED!” right before He took His last breath. He could have called angels to rescue Him. He could have said, “No way. The pain is too much. I’m not going through this for a bunch of people who live their lives for themselves, who indulge in sin,” but He didn’t! Yes, when He was in the Garden of Gethsemane He did ask God the Father if there was another way but He knew it was the Father’s will and He followed through. Be thankful that He did! Jesus paid our debt. He went to the cross in our place. He allowed the soldiers to torture Him and to put Him out for public display of humiliation. And He did it with love. Even while hanging on the cross His attitude was love and grace as He said, “Father forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing.” No. We have no idea when our date with death will be here but yes, there are some things we need to change. Pray this prayer with David in Psalm 139:23-24 (NKJV) 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; 24 And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting. Lord help us all to have a Christ-like attitude. Help us to be like Jesus in all our ways. Randy