Target Practice

          Matthew Emmons was a key member of the U.S. shooting team which competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics held in Athens, Greece.  Having already won the gold medal in the Men's 50m Rifle Prone event, he turned his attention to the 50m Three Position Rifle event with high hopes for another medal.  But it wasn’t to be.  “With one bullet left to shoot, all Matt Emmons needed was a score of 7.2 to win his second gold medal of the Olympic Games. On his first nine shots in the finals, Emmons' lowest score was a 9.3. He took careful aim, fired ... bull's eye.  Only Emmons' shot pierced the wrong target — known as a crossfire — resulting in a score of 0.  Instead of gold, Emmons, 23, of Browns Hill, N.J., was left trying to explain the rare mistake that left him in eighth place” (Steve Rivera, Gannett News Service, USA Today, 8-23-04).  A momentary loss of focus made the difference between a gold medal and eighth place because a bullseye on the wrong target doesn’t count.
          Focus is important in any successful endeavor, including being a disciple of Jesus.  “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1–2).  Is it any wonder that Satan does his best to distract us?  If he can tempt us to take our eyes off of the right target and focus on anything else, he has gained the advantage.  Remember: a bullseye on the wrong target doesn’t count!
          “Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in.  Aim at earth and you get neither” (C.S. Lewis).

God loves you!
Mike

Civil War

The Civil War has the distinction of being the deadliest conflict in U.S. history.  Due to the lack of detailed records, it is difficult to pinpoint the exact death toll but historians have commonly claimed that around 620,000 lost their lives.  Recent studies suggest that the number could range significantly higher.  But regardless of the number one uses, the loss of human life was staggering.  To put it in perspective, the combined U.S. casualties from World War 1, World War 2, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War total just short of 620,000.  U.S. military deaths for the entire Vietnam War are listed at 58,209.  The deaths attributed to just one battle in the Civil War (Gettysburg) are estimated to be 51,000.  The purpose of these comparisons is not to discount the human cost of the later conflicts, but to help us wrap our minds around the terrible consequences of the Civil War.

Civil wars tend to be bloodier than other kinds of conflict.  One would think that brothers would be kinder to brothers and sisters would be more tolerant with sisters, but such is not always the case.  When we reach the point where we can shoot at each other, it seems that restrain disappears.  Family squabbles are often the most volatile and dangerous.  Perhaps that is why the Scriptures are so adamant about maintaining peace, unity, and tolerance within the family of God.  Jesus calls upon us to love one another, not fight with each other (John 15:12; cf. also v. 17).  We we fail to love each other, it becomes easier to attack and destroy each other (Galatians 5:14–15).
Civil war is always deadly.  That is why we must always work hard at preserving peaceful unity (Ephesians 4:3).  Let’s drop the weapons that we use against each other and join forces to fight our common enemy (1 Peter 5:8).  Satan is the only winner when we fight among ourselves.

God loves you!

Mike

Do You Know The Lord?

          The phrase “...then you will know that I am the Lord…” (or something very similar to it) is found 63 times in the book of Ezekiel (NASB). Recurring words or phrases provide us with a key to understanding the purpose behind a biblical writing. The book of Ezekiel speaks of God’s efforts to reach out to His wayward children. The people of Judah had forgotten who God was. Oh sure, they probably would not have denied God’s existence but their words and actions revealed that they really didn’t know or respect Him.
          This situation was unacceptable to God. He refused to abandon His people without a fight. So he set out to provide them with the knowledge they lacked. This knowledge would come to them when they experienced the coming judgment God promised if they refused to repent. “‘For My eye will have no pity on you, nor will I spare you, but I will bring your ways upon you, and your abominations will be among you; then you will know that I am the LORD!” (Ezekiel 7:4). But they would also gain knowledge when God kept his promises of restoration following the judgment. “Thus I will establish My covenant with you, and you shall know that I am the LORD, so that you may remember and be ashamed and never open your mouth anymore because of your humiliation, when I have forgiven you for all that you have done,” the Lord GOD declares” (Ezekiel 16:62–63).
          Do we truly know the Lord? I’m talking about more than just acknowledging His existence. I’m speaking of the kind of knowledge that causes us to speak and act in ways that bring honor to Him (cf. Romans 1:21; Titus 1:16). It’s the kind of knowledge that leads us to actively love others (1 John 4:8). It’s the kind of knowledge that prompts us to obey Him (1 John 2:3-4). It’s this kind of knowledge that leads to eternal life (John 17:3).

God loves you!
Mike

When God Packs His Bags

One of the key images in the book of Ezekiel involves the presence of God among his people.  This presence is manifested as “the glory of the Lord.”  In the early chapters of Ezekiel, God reveals the many sins of the people of Judah and warns of the judgment that is coming as a result of it.  Incredibly, the abominations had grown to involve the temple of God itself, which was the earthly dwelling place of God’s glory (7:20 - 8:18).  The Lord had been patient, but the desecration of the temple was the last straw.  In chapter 9, the executioners are summoned and the glory of the Lord begins to vacate the premises by standing at the threshold of the temple (9:1-3).  From there, he mounts his heavenly “chariot” and proceeds to the east gate (10:18-19).  God’s glory is last pictured as leaving the midst of Jerusalem and hovering over the mountain east of the city (11:22-23).  Then, He is gone.  The city is abandoned to it’s iniquity and resulting destruction.
But, thankfully, the story is not over!  Before the book ends, Ezekiel is given a new vision to relay to the refugees of Judah who remained as captives in Babylon.  Given all that had transpired, they likely felt that God had left them forever.  But such was not the case.  In the vision, Ezekiel is taken to the east gate to witness the return of God’s glory  (43:1-5)!  Once again, “...the glory of the Lord filled the house.”  Once again, God expressed His desire to dwell among them forever, conditioned, of course, upon their recommitment to Him and willingness to turn away from their sin (43:6-9).
As New Covenant disciples, we are God’s dwelling place (Romans 8:9-11; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 2 Corinthians 6:16; Ephesians 2:22).  But like Judah of old, we must guard against giving ourselves over to sin and rebellion to the point that God can no longer stand to be among us (Hebrews 10:26-31).

God loves you!

Mike

Praise The Lord And Pass The Ammunition

Grace Baptist Church in Troy, New York, held a raffle on Sunday, March 23, with an unusual prize -- an AR-15 assault rifle.  One visitor, Ron Stafford, was the lucky “worshipper” chosen.  Apparently the church was being careful to stay within law for such a giveaway because the advertising flyer they printed and distributed had the following disclosure: “All winning applicants will be subject to a federal background check, must be age 18 or older and provide a valid driver’s license. The church also reserves the right to deny anyone of “questionable character.”  Other churches are also using the idea of a gun giveaway as a way of increasing membership.  “Some churches in Kentucky have also been using guns to attract new members. Earlier this month, churches in Paducah — where three students were killed during a school shooting in 1997 — hosted “Second Amendment Celebrations.” At Lone Oak First Baptist Church, roughly 1,300 people crammed into the church hall for a steak dinner and pep talk by gun expert Chuck McAlister, who was hired by Kentucky’s Southern Baptists to grow membership. Twenty-five guns were raffled off during the dinner and winners were required to pass a background check” (Foxnews.com, “Peace(maker) be with you”, March 24, 2014).
Am I missing something here?  Does anyone else sense an incongruity between the raffling off of an assault rifle and the advancement of the gospel of Jesus Christ?  The most startling thing about the advertisement for the gun giveaway was the lone biblical quote they used.  Right under the bold heading “Win a FREE AR-15” were the words of Jesus: “...my peace I give to you…” (John 14:27).  Are you kidding me???
I’m thankful for my constitutional right to keep and bear arms.  I also support Grace Baptist’s freedom under the Constitution to use any legal means to further their cause.  But let’s leave the Lord out of it, okay?  The kingdom of God has one drawing power -- the cross of Christ.  The gospel doesn’t need gimmickry.

God loves you!

Mike

Telling The Truth

“During a trial, in a small Missouri town, the local prosecuting attorney called his first witness to the stand. The witness was a proper, well-dressed elderly lady, the Grandmother type, well spoken, and poised. She was sworn in, asked if she would tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, on the Bible, so help her God.

The prosecuting attorney approached the woman and asked, “Mrs. Jones, do you know me?’” She responded, “Why, yes I do know you, Mr. Williams. I’ve known you since you were a young boy and frankly, you’ve been a big disappointment to me. You lie, cheat on your wife, manipulate people and talk badly about them behind their backs. You think you’re a rising big shot when you haven’t the sense to realize you never will amount to anything more than a two-bit paper-pushing shyster. Yes, I know you quite well.”

The lawyer was stunned. Not knowing what else to do, he pointed across the room and asked, “Mrs. Jones, do you know the defense attorney?”  She again replied, “Why, yes, I do. I’ve known Mr. Bradley since he was a youngster, too. He’s lazy, bigoted, has a bad drinking problem. The man can’t build or keep a normal relationship with anyone and his law practice is one of the worst in the entire state. Not to mention he cheated on his wife with three different women. Yes, I know him.”

The defense attorney almost fainted. Laughter mixed with gasps, thundered throughout the courtroom and the audience was on the verge of chaos.  At this point, the judge brought the courtroom to silence, called both counselors to the bench, and in a very quiet voice said, “If either of you morons asks her if she knows me, you’re going to jail”” (Mark Eberly, sermoncentral.com).
This humorous (and likely fictional story) reminds me to ask myself: Am I living in such a way that I would not be hesitant to have anyone tell the truth about me?  If not, what do I need to change?

God loves you!

Mike

What Happened To Flight 370?

For a week and a half now, news outlets have been closely following the story of an airliner which mysteriously vanished.  Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 with 239 people aboard disappeared March 8 on a night flight from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to Beijing, China.  At the time of this writing (March 19), no trace of the missing plane has been found.  Various theories as to why the plane disappeared have been suggested, including mechanical failure, sabotage, and hijacking.  Regardless of the cause, family and friends continue to anxiously await any news concerning the fate of their loved ones.

Periodically, Christians vanish for some of the same reasons.  Perhaps they had been cruising along faithfully in their service to the Lord, but then things begin to change.  They are not as involved as they once were.  They are less frequent at Christian gatherings.  They seem more and more distant.  And then, they drop off the radar screen.  Gone.

Sometimes its “mechanical failure.”  When the wheels fall off in life, it can lead to a spiritual crash.  Perhaps this is some of what Jesus had in mind when He referred to the rocky soil and thorns that can choke out spiritual growth (Luke 8:13-14).  Sometimes it’s “sabotage.”  Satan is like the thief Jesus talks about who only seeks to “steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10).  The devil is a spiritual terrorist who wants to blow up faithful lives.  Sometimes its “hijacking.”  The attractions of this present world can be powerful, leading to a course correction toward disaster (1 John 2:14-14; 2 Timothy 4:10).

Whatever the cause, let’s be vigilant for the signs that can lead to disappearance.  Rarely does a Christian vanish immediately and without a trace.  There are usually some warning signals that point to potential disaster.  Spiritual lives are at state, perhaps our own or those of others.  Efforts made now before disaster strikes can help avoid searching for signs of wreckage later, when it may be too late.

God loves you!

Mike