Monthly Archives: April 2025

Synchronized?

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Some of you know what it used to be like to set all the clocks in the house after a power outage or time change (not difficult, just a bit tedious). Even then it wouldn’t be too long before they didn’t all agree as they slowly drifted. I won’t comment on the design approaches that caused some to be accurate and others to drift, but primarily the accurate ones used an internal standard that was more stable. 

Today, we are spoiled by clocks that synchronize via communication channels to a remote higher standard in accuracy. Phones synchronize through the networks and “atomic” clocks via radio frequency ultimately to the NIST, National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Oh what a powerful analogy. It is amazing how professing Christians vary widely in their lives and the fruit they produce. Much depends on how synchronized they are with the Holy One Who is our King. Thankfully, we have direct access to God’s standard for lives. It isn’t too difficult to tell those who are synched with Him and those who aren’t.

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:2).

My Brothers, God purchased us with the blood of His precious Son that we bear fruit and bring Him glory. 

When Was The Last Time

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How can something so important be mostly forgotten in our circles? I admit, we can’t look into others minds and see what they are thinking about, but we can have a pretty good idea by observing their actions and listening to what they talk about. For example Jesus told us what the two greatest commandments are. If Jesus said so and we are His followers, it stands to reason that they would be VERY important to us. 

“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matthew 22:36-39).

My thoughts today are on the second, loving our neighbor as ourselves. May each of ask the Lord, “Lord please show me how to love those around me.” I think you will find it starts with the concern for them going to hell. They face an eternity of suffering while you are joyful in the presence of the Lord Jesus. People are quick to tell a friend about a good restaurant. How much more should our desire be for them to be born again and know personally, the God of Creation, the One Who loves them and died for them? 

When out, we engage people. Why? Because we love them. Some are cordial, friendly conversations, but you will find, some grow and easily segue to spiritual. Meet your neighbors. How many do you know? Love them. Trust God to open doors and deepen relationships. I have much to learn, but God gives grace. My neighbors aren’t projects. They are people Jesus died for, and I get the opportunity to love them. 

Oh my brothers, love them. It’s a command and a huge blessing. 

Come and Hear

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I doubt anyone would disagree – if you want to know what is important to someone, just watch and listen to them for awhile. Even if it is something he is ashamed of, you will catch hints of it over time. 

Deep down in your heart of hearts how do you feel about Jesus Christ and what He did for you? Does it make you want to shout, sing for joy, praise Him, or might you be merely grateful? 

I believe the more we understand what the Almighty God of creation did for us, the more we are humbled and want to proclaim the glory of His name and share the availability of salvation to others. 

If you aren’t sharing with others you encounter, why not? Are you afraid of them or feel awkward? Too busy? Would your Lord agree with any of those “reasons”? (If you don’t, please write me and tell me why as I might be missing something.) If you agree that you should be sharing, may I encourage you in a way to begin?

When you encounter someone, be aware of any positive and appropriate thoughts as you observe them. What can you complement them on or politely comment about? They may have a grocery cart filled with healthy food. Perhaps they just got out of an immaculately clean car. Maybe they have a great smile. With an Army post nearby, I ask those who appear to be serving where’s home, or how long they’ve been stationed here. It may be they have an incredible looking truck or old car. 

The topics are endless, but the purpose is to get comfortable simply greeting and briefly engaging people. BTW, you are doing something else too. If your children are with you they are learning that you love others. As you progress, they will also learn that you deeply value your salvation and want to share Christ with others. 

“Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul. “I cried unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled with my tongue” (Psalms 66:16-17).

Invincible

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I shared before how I met a man who said he wasn’t going to die because he was god. He believed he was invincible. The more I talk to people and think about Christians I know, even though they wouldn’t use that word, I believe they think they are invincible too. If I was to directly ask each one if he believed he was invincible, he would say “no.” That’s because people are thinking in the physical sense of a bullet to the chest or some tough guy being able to beat them up. However, if we look at the definition provided by “Mr. Webster,” invincible means, “incapable of being conquered, overcome, or subdued.” 

There are more ways to conquer someone than by physical force. If you give him poison, or withhold food or water he will be defeated. Alcohol and drugs, to name a few, have proven very successful in overcoming by poisoning the body. 

If you ask a Christian with minimal Bible knowledge which is more important his body or soul, he will say his soul. He knows that will live for all eternity, even though his body is dying. 

Yet, I grieve because many professing Christians don’t protect their souls and seem to believe the world’s moral rubbish won’t hurt them. They have a cocky “I know my limits, and I can handle this.” 

Oh my brothers, God’s Word says otherwise. “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners” (1 Corinthians 15:33).

Garbage in, garbage (no fruit) out. 

 “Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit” (Matthew 12:33).

Not in Control

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As I read the beginning of 1 Samuel recently, there was a lesson from Hannah that stood out to me. It wasn’t the one we often think about when we consider Hannah praying for a baby and then God answering that prayer. This lesson revolved around control or better put, lack of control, and then complete faith with a living trust in God.

If you aren’t familiar with the story of Hannah, you can read it in 1 Samuel chapter one. In Hannah’s desire for a son, this is what she prays: “And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore. And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head” (1 Samuel 1:10-11). 

When Hannah prayed that prayer, she literally meant she would physically give her son to the Lord by letting the priest raise him. When God gave Hannah her son, after he was weaned, she took him to the priest and left him there. At that moment she lost all personal control of her son’s life while he was still a very young child. All she had to keep her from falling apart over that was faith in God and trust that He was in control. 

I think most moms, whether their children are young or adults, tend to worry anytime things are happening that are out of Mom’s control. It might be a child’s illness, a teen’s rebellion, a young adult walking away from the Lord, or adult children making, at least in Mom’s opinion, bad decisions. There are just so many things that cause us concern and are out of our control.

Hannah loses all control over her son, and here’s what she does at that point. She prays. What does she pray? I would have thought she would implore God to take care of her son, to watch over him in her absence, to help him learn to walk uprightly with God, to grow in stature and wisdom, to be healthy – al the things mothers pray for their children. But no! That’s not her prayer. Instead her prayer is all about God. She exalts and worships God! Nine verses of her prayer are recorded in 1 Samuel 2: 1-9. Here is the first part: “And Hannah prayed, and said,  My heart rejoiceth in the LORD,  mine horn is exalted in the LORD:  my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies;  because I rejoice in thy salvation” (1 Samuel 2:1).

That’s where I believe our lesson comes. We let go. We truly let go, not still trying to control by always praying for how and what we think should happen. We let go by focusing on God, worshipping Him, and walking in faith and trust. 

I am not saying we don’t pray at all about our concerns, but I am suggesting that we learn from Hannah not to make that the overriding emphasis of our prayers. Instead how about lifting those cares to Him, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you” (1 Peter 5:7). Then move to praising the One Who takes care of all those cares you cast on Him. “I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable” (Psalms 145:1-3). 

Try it. See what happens.

How Many Times?

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“How many times do I have to tell you?” Surely every parent has said that to a child at least once. Yet, the whiney reply was, “I don’t know how.” Think about it. Rational parents do not tell a child to do something that he doesn’t know how to do. Another response was, “It’s too hard!!!!” We aren’t going to tell him to do something he isn’t capable of doing. 

Do we ever act like that? Sadly, I admit guilt. As we read the New Testament with its over 1,000 commands, we encounter some where we think, “I don’t know how to do that,” or maybe more common, “Oh Lord, I can’t!!” In one sense that is true. In our own abilities, many commands we can’t do with a right heart. Yet He commands. He can command because He is the One Who enables. He is the One Who works within us. We believe, and we obey, by His grace, for His glory. 

“Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen” (Hebrews 13:20-21).