Where Are You God?

“In the generations gone by He permitted all the nations to go their own ways; and yet He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good and gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.” Even saying these things, with difficulty they restrained the crowds from offering sacrifice to them” (Acts 14:16–18).

As Barnabus and Paul made their way through the southern regions of Asia Minor on their first missionary journey, they encountered various reactions to their ministry.  But an incident in Lystra prompts the strangest reaction yet.  Paul heals a man who had been lame from birth.  The local worshipers of pagan gods reason that they have been blessed with a visit from two of their patron deities, Zeus and Hermes.  Much to the consternation of the missionaries, the locals begin to prepare sacrifices to offer in their honor.

The servants of the true God are understandably appalled at this and they strongly voice their disapproval.  As part of their efforts to stop the proceedings, Paul reminds the crowd that part of the reason for his preaching was to encourage them to “...turn from these vain things to a living God, Who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them” (Acts 14:15).  What is implied is that this God alone should be worshiped.

The evidence for the true God is all around for those with the vision and the will to see it.  “The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands” (Psalm 19:1).  “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20).  Sadly, some refuse to see what is right in front of them.  The natural world is a billboard pointing to the One who made it.  Will we choose to see it?

 

God loves you!

Mike 

Quiet Calls For Help

“A longtime UPS driver was hailed as a hero for calling cops after he spotted a woman’s desperate plea for help scrawled on a package — saving her from being held captive and sexually assaulted by her husband in their Missouri home, authorities said.

Sgt. T.J. Wild of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department told KMOV.com that the unidentified driver “made a huge difference” in Tuesday’s arrest of James Jordan, 33, of Robertsville. Investigators said the driver went to Jordan’s home after being called to pick up a package and took it at the front door from Jordan’s wife, who had written “contact 911” on it. The driver then left the home and alerted authorities.

“The woman’s harrowing ordeal began late Monday, according to court documents, when Jordan allegedly prevented her from leaving their home or using the phone. Jordan allegedly beat her, put a gun to her head and threatened to kill her. He also allegedly dragged her back into the home by her hair when she tried to escape, KMOV.com reported. The couple’s 3-year-old child allegedly was locked inside a room for several hours as the abuse went on, according to the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department.

“A SWAT team was called to the home and eventually took Jordan into custody. He later was charged with domestic assault, sodomy, felonious restraint, unlawful use of a weapon and endangering the welfare of a child.”*

            Some calls for help are loud and unmistakable.  In such cases there is no doubt about the need for assistance.  Other pleas for help, like in the story above, are more subtle and guarded, yet just as desperate.  Jesus was a master at sensing the not-so-obvious appeals.  For example, in the midst of a pressing crowd, the Savior perceived the need of a hurting woman who merely touched his garments (Mark 5:25-34).

            Lord, may we have eyes to see and ears to hear the quiet calls for help as we make our way through a noisy world.

 

God loves you!

Mike

*https://nypost.com/2016/12/09/woman-held-captive-saved-after-writing-note-to-ups-driver/amp/ 

Who Is Judging Whom?

“The next Sabbath nearly the whole city assembled to hear the word of the Lord.  But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began contradicting the things spoken by Paul, and were blaspheming.  Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first; since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles” (Acts 13:44-46).

Sometimes unbelievers are quick to criticize the God they claim doesn’t exist.  He is castigated as harsh, unloving, and judgmental.  They say things like: “How could a loving God send anyone to hell?”  Well, guess what?  We agree on something.  I don’t believe in that kind of God either.  These kinds of statements reveal a basic misunderstanding of the character of God and what He is doing in the world.  As Paul discloses in the text above, when one rejects the offer of salvation through Christ, that person judges himself or herself unworthy of eternal life.  Did you catch that?  Who is doing the judging?  It is the unrepentant sinner, not God!

This quote describes it well: “God doesn’t send anyone to Hell. It was never His design to send people to Hell. It breaks the heart of God to see people, made in His image, make the deliberate choice to go to Hell. Hell was not made for people; it was made for the angelic being, Satan, who rebelled against God. In Matthew 25:41, Jesus says the everlasting fire was prepared for the devil and his angels. Scripture also teaches, “[God] is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). That is why God sent Jesus to die on the cross in our place—to bridge the gap between sinful people and a Holy God. The gates of Hell are locked from the inside. If you end up in Hell, you will practically have to climb over Jesus to get there” (harvest.org).

 

God loves you!

Mike 

Invisible Labels

“The car ahead was moving like a turtle and not getting out of my way in spite of my continuous honking. I was on the brink of losing my cool when I noticed the small sticker on the car’s rear bumper. “Physically challenged -- please be patient.” And that changed everything! I immediately calmed down and slowed my pace. In fact I got a little protective of the car and the driver. I reached work a few minutes late, but it was okay. And then it struck me.  Why couldn’t I have been patient even without a sticker? Why do we need stickers to be patient with people!?  Would we be more patient and kind with others if people had labels pasted on their foreheads?  Labels like: “Lost my job” -- “Fighting cancer” -- “Going through a bad divorce” -- “ Suffering Emotional abuse” -- "Lost a loved one” -- “Feeling worthless” -- “ Financially broken”..... and more like these? Everyone is fighting a battle we know nothing about. The least we can do is try to be patient and kind. Let us respect the invisible labels” (author unknown).”

Jesus was excellent at this.  The gospel records speak often of the compassion of the Savior.  Of course, He had the divine ability to look into people’s hearts and see what was going on there.  That certainly is an advantage in these kinds of situations.  But we don’t have to be the Son of God to be compassionate and patient with those around you.  We don’t need to be able to read minds and hearts to not jump to conclusions regarding the actions of others.

But we do need to “...put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience…” (Colossians 3:12).  We do need to “...not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others” (Philippians 2:4).  We should “...bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves” (Romans 15:1).

Is it hard work?  Yes.  But it’s the only way to begin to see the invisible labels.

 

God loves you!

Mike 

Missing The Message

“Brethren, sons of Abraham’s family, and those among you who fear God, to us the message of this salvation has been sent.  For those who live in Jerusalem, and their rulers, recognizing neither Him nor the utterances of the prophets which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled these by condemning Him.  And though they found no ground for putting Him to death, they asked Pilate that He be executed.  When they had carried out all that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the cross and laid Him in a tomb” (Acts 13:26-29).

Sometimes we miss the message.  The Jewish nation did that very thing according to Paul as he spoke in the synagogue in Pisidian Antioch.  He begins his speech with a history lesson, recounting the history of the old covenant people from the choice of Abraham all the way up to the arrival of the One sent to save them (Acts 13:17-25).  But, then, the lesson takes a somber turn.  They missed the message!  Instead of receiving their Deliverer, they rejected, condemned, and had Him executed.  End of story, right?  Not by a long shot.

“But God raised Him from the dead…” (Acts 13:30).  I love the “but God” moments in the Bible.  Just when all hope seems lost, God resurrects hope.  Even a dead Messiah can’t derail God’s rescue plan. Forgiveness and freedom are still an option for those who reconsider the message (Acts 13:38-39). No wonder the synagogue crowd kept begging “...that these things might be spoken to them the next Sabbath” (Acts 13:42).

There’s hope for those of us who have missed the message, perhaps making a mess of things in the process.  There’s hope because the Author of the message doesn’t give up easily.  He can even take the mess we’ve made and use it to our advantage.  It doesn’t get much messier than a crucified Messiah.  And yet, the message of forgiveness and freedom continues to be offered to those who hear and respond in faith.  “But God…”

 

God loves you!

Mike