Keeping Score

(John 4:1-3 Message Bible) Jesus realized that the Pharisees were keeping count of the baptisms that he and John performed

(although his disciples, not Jesus, did the actual baptizing). They had posted the score that Jesus was ahead, turning him and John into rivals in the eyes of the people.

So Jesus left the Judean countryside and went back to Galilee.

Keeping score is one of the most divisive acts I know of. In the case of our text the Pharisees were actually keeping score of who had baptized the most people-Jesus or John. One would think it would not make any difference as long as people were being baptized. However, that is not the way score keepers look at things.

Score keepers look at things differently than most people. As a matter of fact I have never seen a score keeper who actually confessed to being a score keeper. Their confession is that they only want things to be right and see that nobody else is being taken advantage of.

Every family seems to have a score keeper and that usually means that they are the self appointed ones to police the rest of the family's actions.

There seems to be certain characteristics of a score keeper that are unique to them. For example, you never seem to win an argument with them…because they are usually more relentless than everyone else in the family. If a family decision needs to be made-their opinion is usually the one you go with. It is not worth all the "I told you so" comments for years to come.

My own siblings have all gone on to be with the Lord, so I now feel free to use one of my sisters as an example of a score keeper. Otherwise I would be getting into a heap of trouble. Speaking of trouble-the last thing you ever want to do is to get in trouble with the family score keeper. My sister had the rest of us so well trained (or scared) that it got to the point that she did not even have to say anything. All she had to do was just show up and the rest of us would straighten up and start smiling and doing what we could to please her. When she was around we were always on our best behavior. No liberties were taken and her opinion was always asked and usually agreed upon. We even seemed to sit up a little straighter in our chairs when she was around.

I do not remember any of us ever saying anything derogatory about her while she was around. We would always wait until she left before saying all of those derogatory remarks about her. We even sort a whispered while saying all of those nasty things for fear she might hear us. I am sure it was fear that made all the rest of us smiling hypocrites.

In God's eyes I wonder whose sins are the worst, the score keeper Pharisees or the smiling hypocrites who gossip behind the score keeper's back.

Perhaps this is what Paul meant when he said in Romans 3:10…"There is none righteous, no, not one."

Father,

Forgive us for the sins that we commit against one another in the disguise of being righteous. Help us to see more clearly that our own peculiarities are many times an offence to others as well as to You. Help us to seek Your righteousness and honesty as we deal with others in love and humility.

Amen.

Ma

And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.

For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

Mark 11:22-23 KJV

This scripture is very interesting because it speaks of a level of faith that is attainable by everyone. Jesus made a point of saying to stop doubting when we pray. The moment we start doubting when we pray that is the moment our faith vanishes and our prayers become just empty words. Faith calls for an action on our part. As a matter of fact James 2:26 says "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also".

I knew an extraordinary couple that lived in such agreement that their thoughts were inseparable. They were commonly known by most folks in that neck of the woods as Ma and Pa. As a matter of fact I do not think I ever knew their first names. They have both gone home to be with the Lord, but I think of them often. Pa was a very quiet deep thinking type of fellow who talked very little. Whereas Ma was very open and enjoyed talking. Not only were they extremely dedicated to each other, they were especially dedicated to the Lord. Their faith in the Lord always amazed me because it seemed that their prayers were answered quicker than most folks.

As a young stray teenager running around the countryside in the late '40s and early '50s I had the privilege of living with many people who wanted to be mom and dad to me. This was one of those couples who loved me for what I was, and through the eyes of faith saw potential in my scattered life. Perhaps my life is made up of bits and pieces of all those fine people who were willing to be my parents for a season.

I learned many things from all of them, but the thing I learned from Ma and Pa that would help me in later life was how to trust God and live by faith. I do not believe there is any greater lesson to learn than that of trusting God and living by faith.

One day I left Ma's home as I had left all the other homes, but Ma never left me. She always considered me to be her boy and by faith she would never turn loose of what she felt God had given to her.

As the years passed I would see Ma less and less. I might show up every two or three years to check on her and Pa but that was about it. During one of those absences from Ma I came to know the Lord. It could have been because of Ma's prayers and deep level of faith…not to mention her persistence that caused heaven to move on my behalf.

The moment I came to the Lord I was so on fire for God that I immediately went into the ministry as an evangelist and was getting people saved everywhere. One day I began to realize that maybe I had the Ma type of faith. Perhaps my inheritance from Ma was her faith and fire. Because Ma had something to do with my faith and fire, I am forever grateful.

I seldom saw Ma and Pa anymore because I lived several hours away from them. However, one day while going about my business in Houston, Texas-all of a sudden the Lord spoke to me and said, "Ma needs you." I filled up my car and headed down the road to Ma's house. A couple of hours later I pulled up in front of her modest little house and there she was waiting for me at the screen door. I got out of my car and said, "Hi Ma, how are you doing?" She did not respond by saying hi back, (as I expected). She only said, "What took you so long?" Then she said, "Well come on in, and we will talk about that later."

The reason the Lord sent me to see Ma that day was because she was ministering to a lady who had a problem which Ma did not know how to handle. Ma stopped ministering to the lady and told her, "I do not know how to handle things like this but I have a boy who does." The lady asked, "Where is he?" Ma said, "I don't know but I will pray and the Lord will send him." The lady asked, "But how does that work?" Ma said, "God hears me when I pray and John knows how to hear the Lord so he will come." Her simple faith filled prayer was "Lord I need for You to send John, in Jesus name, amen!" The lady said, "You mean that is all there is to it?" Ma said, "Yep, that is all there is to it." After she prayed she walked over to the screen door and waited for me to show up. That is the epitome of faith.

Everyone should have a Ma in their life to teach them how to trust God and to live by faith. These types of mothers are rare and are sprinkled throughout the kingdom as salt.

Father,

I cannot thank you enough for allowing Ma in my life. Even though she has been with you many years I continue to learn from her home spun theology, which to me is more accurate than all the seminary training in the world. Ma truly did walk with you in the cool of the day as Adam did. She really did talk to you "mouth to mouth" as Moses did. I pray I will have the kind of impact on others that Ma had on my life. Lord, her ministry will never end because I carry her message of trusting in God and living by faith to people around the world. Ma's faith was a true example of "mountain-moving faith".

Amen.

The Spirit of Adoption

To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Galatians 4:5-7 KJVA

For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

Romans 8:15-17 KJVA

Adoption is one of the kindest acts in the entire bible. The Lord takes those who are not wanted and makes them His own. Along with this adoption come all the benefits of being an heir. The thought of actually being a joint-heir with Christ is incomprehensible. This miracle can only be accomplished as God enters into covenant with Himself on our behalf as He did with Abraham. Our only contribution to this phenomenon is that of giving God our retched condemned lives.

Today God expects us to follow this same pattern so we too may become adopters of the unwanted-making them the wanted. Being grafted into the family of God means you stand with the privileged.

I realize there are many who have actually been adopted yet feel unwanted and unloved because of the rejection of their parents. They not only feel unloved and unwanted but the spirit of unworthiness gnaws away at their very soul by telling them they are not worthy.

Growing up in the late 30s, 40s, and early 50s I was adopted into many homes-even though I was never legally adopted. Unlike the above who felt unwanted, I felt wanted by a lot of people. I may have lacked in many things, but I never lacked in being wanted.

As I think back on those early days perhaps my greatest asset was the ability to see the glass half full rather than half empty.

Today I can not imagine not having those early life experiences. Each one was needed in building my character and preparing me for my life's ministry. I honestly have a deep appreciation for my journey and realize it was unique.

Perhaps my life was a bit usual because it did not fit into the typical pattern of an adoptee. The spirit of sorrow (1 Samuel 1:15) never invaded my mind because God had given me a thankful heart, so I never gave the spirit of sorrow any opportunity to take root.

Father,

I thank you for giving me such a unique life. I was not only wanted by so many people but you wanted me as well. I thank you for all the mothers and fathers who adopted me into their hearts and homes. However, the greatest of all adoptions was when you adopted me into the kingdom of God and made me a joint-heir with Jesus. Then you told me Lord, that I could boldly come into your presence any time I wanted. I truly am most blessed.

Amen!

What You Are Called Will Not Matter

(John 4:20-21 KJV) Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.

Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.

(John 20:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

There are many different types of churches today as well as a variety of beliefs in each church. Every Christian wants to be right in their beliefs. Perhaps that is why their beliefs vary somewhat.

The thought of being right had to be in the woman's mind when she made the statement to Jesus at the well.

Jesus' answer to her was interesting and should cause all who read this passage to examine their beliefs. It should not only cause us to examine our theological beliefs, but also our ministry calling.

Back in the days when I started ministering I was often asked, "What are you?" What they meant was, "Are you a pastor, evangelist or missionary?" Even though folks could clearly see what I was doing they still asked the question because I apparently did not fit the customary mold.

Answering such a question was hard for me since I had been doing some of all three. As a matter of fact I had a passion for all three. I really wanted to answer their question but felt guilty because I did not have the answer. This agonizing question was on my mind far too much in the first five years of my ministry.

One day while driving from Des Moines, Iowa to Kansas City, Missouri the Lord suddenly spoke to me in such a way that I have never asked Him the question of "What am I?" again. I was so overcome by His presence that I had to pull my car off the highway for awhile as He ministered to me. When I understood His answer to the question I put my head across the steering wheel and repented for ever asking Him the question in the first place. That was about forty-five years ago and I have never asked the Lord that question again.

What the Lord showed me was that He was all things and He wanted to be Himself through me. Putting me in a category would limit Him as to how He could use me. Once I saw the picture I have never wanted to be anything other than an empty vessel for Him to pour Himself through.

I am amazed at how people advertize me on their marquees. Some say I am a teacher, others say I am an evangelist, while others call me a prophet. Each time I look at the marquees I say, "Lord this is what the people need from You today. I thank you Lord for allowing me to be the empty vessel that you are going to pour through".

God is raising up a whole new breed of people today that feel the same way that I feel. They know they have a call of God on their lives, but they do not fit the typical mold of pastor, evangelist or missionary. I want to encourage these people to yield themselves to the "empty vessel ministry" and God will do the rest.

Even though there are many today who do not fit the typical Ephesians 4:11 ministry calling of pastor, evangelistic and missionary...I still believe they are the foundation of all callings.

The woman at the well was seeking truth as to where was the best place and way to worship God. Jesus gave her the answer by saying "believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father." Verse 23 ... "but in spirit and in truth"

Father,

I thank you for giving me the 'empty vessel ministry'. Lord I know that you have a special ministry for all of your children. However, I am particularly happy for the "empty vessel ministers" who have no particular ministry, but stand ready to be used by You at will. I pray they will never be intimidated by the question of "What are you?" because What You Are Called Will Not Matter.

Amen

Hot Check Charlie

As snow in summer, and as rain in harvest, So honor is not seemly for a fool.

Proverbs 26:1 ASV

This is quite a profound scripture. I cannot help but wonder what provoked Solomon to write such thoughts in the first place. Snow in summer, rain in harvest and honor for fools-these seem to be far flung thoughts with no explanation. Perhaps Solomon intended for us to search out his meanings of these thoughts for ourselves.

The point seems to be that honor is not bestowed on everyone. There are certain character qualifications that are needed to be a recipient of honor. People can do powerful things in their lives, but if they are without character then they will not receive honor. Hitler is a good example of one who did powerful things, but he died in dishonor. Therefore it is not about how big the things are that you do, but how big your character is while doing them.

Some experiences in life are almost too good to be true, while others are too bad to forget. Such was the case with me and many others like me back in the mid fifties when trying to get a good job was out of the question. That means that I was thrilled to even get a bad job.

I have had many interesting 'Charles' in my life, but the one I want to talk about today was no doubt the icing on the cake. This Charlie remodeled homes for a living and was always open to hire a fresh new dummy. If Charlie paid you at all, he paid you with hot checks. Those of us who worked for Charlie referred to him as 'Hot Check Charlie'. Since jobs of any kind were hard to find I figured I would rather have a bad job with hot checks than no job at all. Charlie was what you might call a high level manipulator who did not have a lick of character. That means if you were going to work for Charlie you had to learn how to out manipulate the manipulator.

A person like Charlie was certainly not a candidate for honor apart from a miracle in his life. However that is what the cross of Calvary is all about. Charlie may not have been guilty of having any real character in his life but neither did I before I met the Lord.

Perhaps Solomon was thinking about all of the 'Charlie-types' of the world when he wrote our text. I think it is far too easy for us to judge those like Charlie who may have been on their way to salvation, and forget about our own wretched 'Charlie-life' before we were saved.

I never cease to be amazed at how quickly we forget about our own 'Charlie-life' as if it never happened. Maybe it would be good for us to reflect back once in awhile just to keep us from walking in false pride.

Father,

As strange as it may seem I do thank you for putting Charlie in my life. I am sorry Lord that I was so busy trying to out-manipulate Charlie's manipulation that I forgot all about telling him about You. Help us all Lord to be more alert to “Charlie spottings” and ministry opportunities for the kingdom.

Amen

Waiting for Bread

"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."

Ps 37:25 NIV

I do not think I fully understood this scripture until I was much older. When I was a young preacher I had to believe God for each morsel of bread I put in my mouth. I thought this scripture only worked in proportion to the level of faith I had for my provision. Faith is certainly a major part of receiving from God, and I do not want to minimize that. However, after having ministered for almost fifty years I think I may have missed what David was trying to say. Hebrews 11:6 says, "...without faith it is impossible to please [God]..." No doubt our faith is pleasing to God, but His love and dedication to our well being far outweighs any level of faith we may have to motivate Him.

I think maybe David was trying to tell us that God wants to provide for us because it is His nature as a Father. Fathers usually want their children to be blessed and have more than enough. It is a very comforting thought...to know that our heavenly Father is looking out for our needs and at times even our wants.

There seems to be at least two ways to express one's faith. The first way to express our faith is by believing that the Lord wants to do good things for us.

The other type of faith is what I call a forced faith. This means that you believe God is going to provide for you, but you have never developed a father-son relationship with Him. In other words you do not walk in the cool of the day with Him and talk to Him and find out what is on His mind. However, in spite of that, you believe He is going to provide for you because you believe His word.

Everything takes a measure of faith and I certainly do not want to minimize that. But, on the other hand, I believe we need to be careful lest we use our faith in an unrighteous way. The way to use your faith in an unrighteous way is by expecting God to provide for you, but you refuse to develop a close relationship with Him.

As I look back over the years I realize that God provided bread and provision for me before I even knew Him as Lord. Maybe this is what David was talking about. As strange as this may sound, although I remember as a young child going without food many times, I cannot ever remember being hungry. I think maybe this could even be a part of what David was talking about. Perhaps my heavenly Father was feeding me with a spiritual food that was so satisfying that my natural hunger was erased.

If that was the case, then maybe those who read this should be encouraged that "God is no respecter of persons." If you are going through dark times and your faith is low, God is more than willing to feed you with His spiritual food. Praise God!

Perfecting faith is a journey and not a destination.

Even though God provides for me today in a different way than He did in my past, I shall never forget the joy of learning to walk by faith. He taught me how to believe Him and rejoice even for the small things. Because of those lessons, I have developed a grateful and thankful heart even for the small things of life.

Father,

I realize that living by faith is much harder for some people that it is for others. I thank you Lord for trusting me with this 'faith lesson' and for teaching me to expect your precious provision every day. I also realize that each of us is called to our own individual challenges. Lord you taught me how to wait for the daily bread that you had already prepared for me. Thank you Lord.

Amen.

Is Death-Death?

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:55-57 MKJV

In light of what Jesus did for us on the cross, perhaps we need to go back and rethink the whole death issue. Because of His death, burial and resurrection we are no longer bound by death and the grave. Perhaps that experience would be better referred to as simply meeting the Lord...or passing into the hands of the Father.

That may take some getting used to...since the last time we saw Uncle Charlie was when we put him in the ground. We are aware that his spirit is with the Lord, but as far as we are concerned Charlie is still in the ground.

A pastor friend of mine went to be with the Lord a few years ago, but his wife never acknowledged his death. She acknowledged he left and is not coming back, but would never acknowledge that he died. Consequently she saw no reason to go back to her husband's grave. At the time, I thought she must be in denial or shock. My concern was that when the reality of her husband's death came it was going to be hard on her, since they had been married over forty years. It has been several years since her husband's death and she is still at peace while carrying on the ministry.

Perhaps she knew something practically that the rest of us only know in principle. I think it must be easier to teach this principle to others than it is to practice it yourself. The question still remains, "Is death really death?"

Father,

We are still learning how to practically walk out the benefits you have afforded us spiritually. Continue to be patient with us Lord as we experience things such as the death of a loved one. You told us in Ecclesiastes 3:4 that there was "A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance". Help us to live within that framework and not go to either extreme by allowing our flesh to control our emotions.

Amen.