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Everything Changes, Except…

Change isn’t easy!  As a matter of fact, Sydney Harris, an American journalist for the Chicago Daily News once said, “Our dilemma is that we hate change and love it at the same time; what we really want is for things to remain the same but get better.”

Change can be hard to face at times and yet if we want to grow, we have to change.  For things to sincerely ‘get better’, they can’t stay the same.  This week my daughter (a senior in HS) went with me to the office.  As we talked about the changes in our family, big brother is now in college, I reminder her that we ALL change.  She wasn’t going to always be my little blonde, curly haired 5 year old.  She was growing into adulthood and, if the Lord wills, would one day have a family of her own.  If we remain the same, that would be nice, but how could things hope to improve.  As a matter of fact, in our spiritual lives we sing the song, “Change My Heart of God”.  If we want our lives to ‘get better’, we have to go through a metamorphosis (a change).  But why do we ‘hate change?’  Perhaps it’s because of the uncertainty that lies ahead.

How often I would like for things to ‘just stay the same’.  Actually some folks take great strides to make sure things never change.  We are comfortable with the tried and true.  Not needing to ‘wonder what will happen next’ is a good thing…isn’t it?  Let me direct you to another hymn that actually talks about the changes in our lives.  The transitions that we face in life.

Over 100 years ago Jennie Wilson penned a song that tells me what to do when uncertainty comes into my life.  I need to remember the words…

Time is filled with swift transition – naught of earth unmoved can stand (Nothing on earth can change this fact)
Build your hopes on things eternal, hold to God’s unchanging hand. (The earth changes…God, eternal, does not)

Trust in Him who will not leave you, whatsoever years may bring, (God is constant, even with the changes in life)
If by earthly friends forsaken, still more closely to Him cling. (People let us down, God won’t)

When your journey is completed, if to God you have been true (When life is over, and if you have been faithful)
Fair and bright the home in glory your enraptured soul (delight without measure) will view (Heaven’s really good!)

Hold to His hand…to God’s unchanging hand!
Hold to His hand…to God’s unchanging hand!
Build your hopes on things eternal,
Hold to God’s unchanging hand.

We will face changes in life and some of them will make us ‘wish for the good ole days’.  But change will come and often it will come swiftly.  In a world that is created to ‘change’, hold fast to Him who created this world…He does NOT change.  James 1:17 “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom THERE IS NO VARIATION or shifting shadow.”  To put it simply…God doesn’t change.

Children hold the hands of their parents because there is comfort in knowing someone is beside them.  We hold hands as couples to show our spouse (and others who might be watching) that we find comfort and security in our loved ones presence.  In a world that is ‘swiftly transitioning’, perhaps we should be looking to reach out and take hold of our Father’s hand.  Changes will come into your life, but with God we will always find consistency.  Perhaps Mr. Harris was right, we do have a dilemma when it comes to change, but remember what he said, want we really want is for things ‘to get better.’

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If it wasn’t for the Lighthouse…

How dark does the night have to be…
before you realize you can’t see where you’re going?

We wander through the darkness hoping that eventually we’ll find our way.  But add to the black of the night some wind and rain.  Feel the sting from the rain and the power of the storm…all in total darkness.  Now the dynamics are more intense.  Not only am I blinded by the night, whatever sense of ‘stability’ I once had is now in question.  We need someone to ‘shed some light’ on the subject.  A flashlight would be helpful, but a flood lamp would be great.  Better yet, if only the sun would shine and drive away the storm and night.

The storm may be ravaging your world today, and the darkness of sin may have blinded  your sight.  Do you need someone to shine the light into your day?  You can rest assured, the Son is shining!  Even after our physical sun has set and the day is done, God’s Light shines on.  He illuminates our lives and gives us hope in a dark and stormy world.  But are we willing to look for the light, be receptive to this glow and follow the light to the safety of the shore.  Robbie Hinson wrote the following country gospel song that stands to remind us that there is a lighthouse on the hillside.  [LINK]

 

There’s a lighthouse on the hillside that overlooks life’s sea.
When I’m tossed it sends out a light, a light that I might see.
And the light that shines in darkness now will safely lead me home,
If it wasn’t for the lighthouse, my ship would be no more.

Chorus
And I thank God for The Lighthouse, I owe my life to Him.
For Jesus is The Lighthouse and from the rocks of sin,
He has shown the light around me, so that I might clearly see.
If it wasn’t for The Lighthouse, Where would this ship be?

Everyone that lives around us, they say ‘Tear that lighthouse down;
You know the big ships don’t sail this way anymore, there’s no use in it standing round.’
Then my mind goes back to that stormy night, when just in time I saw the light
Yes, the light from that old lighthouse, that stands up there on the hill.

Chorus
And I thank God for The Lighthouse, I owe my life to Him.
For Jesus is The Lighthouse and from the rocks of sin,
He has shown the light around me, so that I might clearly see.
If it wasn’t for The Lighthouse, Where would this ship be?

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Who Is Going to Win?

Several of my best friends are ministers in the Lord’s church.  Some have been in mission fields around the world while others have served the Lord stateside.

One of my best friends has worked as a missionary in Poland, Russia and most recently the Ukraine.  We have been friends since the late 1980’s and I’m honored to call Terry Harmon my brother.  Just recently Terry and his family moved back to the states where he currently serves the Lord’s church in Flagler, Colorado.  Each month Terry writes a bulletin article that is shared with that small congregation and, with his permission, today we all get the chance to read his thoughts about winning and losing…

“Every once in a while, when the kids are off to bed and there is a chance to sit down for a few minutes, I will turn on a taped game of some sporting event.  The advantage of this is that you can watch a 3 1/2 hour football game in about thirty or forty minutes.  If you fast forward through all the commercials, halftime entertainment and commentators remarks (between plays), you can watch the game so much quicker.  This is the reason I love to watch games that have been recorded.  There is, however, one slight drawback (although it doesn’t bother me).  Many times you already know the outcome of the game.

It has interested me for some time now, that while I may know who won the game, for those who are AT the game, siting in the stands, the outcome is still undetermined.  This is especially important when it is a really close game and the score goes back and forth.  Perhaps you can relate to this, sitting in the stands and thinking, “who is going to win?”  During these contest of skill, the camera will often zoom in on fans nervously watching the score board, trying to calculate whether or not their team has enough time to pull out a win.  The expression on these faces is often priceless.  Nervous and downtrodden at times, they can change to upbeat and excited at the moment their team overcomes.

A few years ago it dawned on me that our lives as Christians are really just like a ‘taped sporting event.’  It may not feel like it at times when our lives are beaten down by Satan’s attacks.  When situations test us and conflicts challenge our daily walk.  But we must remember, the outcome has already been set.  It just doesn’t seem like it as we face the struggles of life.  One of the greatest lessons we learn in the New Testament is that if we as Christians are faithful to the Lord until death…WE WIN!  The story has already been written, and God guarantees the victory.  So we just have to trust, obey and keep fighting until, ‘the race is run’.

Believe in God’s word and take comfort from reading I John 5:4, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith.”  Also you’ll remember Revelation 7:14-15, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.  For this reason, they are before the throne of God; and they serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne shall spread his tabernacle over them.”

Note the present tense of the verb in the last verse, “They (we) serve Him day and night…”  God sees all of this as it will happen in the future, but for us it seems so far off and distant.  We need to realize that there is really nothing to be nervous about and nothing to agonize over.  The bottom line is, if we stay faithful with the Lord, THE VICTORY IS OURS!  The story (the game) is already complete.”

Thanks Terry for the reminder that we should have courage and the faith to know the outcome is secure.  And of course…this also reminds me of the perfect hymn:

“Encamped along the hills of light, ye Christian soldiers, rise.  And press the battle ere the night shall veil the glowing skies.  Against the foe in vales below let all our strength be hurled;  Faith is the victory, we know, that overcomes the world.  His banner over us is love, our sword, the Word of God; We tread the road the saints above with shouts of triumph trod.  By faith they, like a whirlwind’s breath, swept on, over every field; The faith by which they conquered death is still our shining shield.  On every hand the foe we find drawn up in dread array.  Let tents of easy be left behind and onward to the fray.  Salvation’s helmet on each head and faith all girt about the earth shall tremble beneath our tread and echo with our shout. Faith is the Victory!  Faith is the Victory!  O glorious victory that over comes the world.  (NOTICE THIS LAST VERSE)  To him that overcomes the foe white raiment shall be given; before the angels he shall know His name confessed in heaven;  Then onward from the hills of light, our hearts with love aflame, we’ll vanquish all the host of night in Jesus conquering name.”

FAITH IS THE VICTORY!

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Doing Chores…Part One

Having grown up on a farm I can clearly remember when it was time  to do the chores.  Each day we had some very specific chores. 

During the 1970’s in  a rural, farming community it was not uncommon for us to have chores that dominated our day.  The cow had to be milked and the pigs had to be fed every morning and every evening.  The eggs had to be gathered each night.  Weeding the garden and cleaning out the animal’s pens was not weird, nor was it punishment, it was our norm.  There was no option of ‘skipping out’ on the responsibility to feed the animals and taking care of them.  If a chore was shirked and we chose to do something else, the price to pay would be staggering.  Our breakfast in the morning consisted of the eggs we gathered the night before.  The 2 gallons of milk we collected daily would feed our family of six (four growing boys) daily.  The vegetables we grew in the garden would be canned or preserved for the winter months.  We did our chores because we knew there would be consequences if we didn’t obey.  But we also did our chores because our parents cared for us, and we loved our parents.  You see, our chores were important to our survival.

But before we go much further you need to know that with all the animals we had to care for, we never owned sheep.  Chickens, cattle, hogs and even an occasional horse or two, but never sheep.  And as I understand them, sheep are very precarious when it comes to raising them.  Some even say they’re stupid animals.  Again, having never raised sheep I’m not speaking from direct experience, but from what sheep farmers and those who raise sheep have told me.  Those who tend sheep know that the responsibility to care for them is intensified.  Sheep challenge your resolve when it comes to feeding them, watering them and shearing them.  Much less keeping them alive.

But have you ever noticed that the Bible calls followers of Christ ‘sheep’?  Matthew 10:16, “Behold, I send you out as SHEEP…” and Matthew 25:33, “and He will put the SHEEP on His right, and the goats on the left…” and Matthew 26:31, “I will strike down the Shepherd, and the SHEEP of the flock will be scattered…”  And no doubt you’ll remember the 23rd Psalm as it refers to us as sheep and the Lord as our Shepherd.  “The Lord’s my shepherd, I’ll not want.  He makes me lie down in green pastures.”

There is a connection between doing chores and the idea that we are sheep and Christ is our Shepherd!  Perhaps you can see the connection between doing God’s work (doing our chores) and the need to take care of the sheep when you look deeper into God’s Word.  From a Biblical point of view, the world is not in the safety of the fold.  And God calls His people (the sheep) with the help of the Shepherd (Jesus) to bring a lost people home.  (The cattle are out of the pen; there’s a fox in the hen house; there are chores to be done.)  Take out your Bible and read I Peter 2:25; “For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to your Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.” 

Next time we’ll see how to make sense of this comparison…being like a sheep, and tending the sheep.  There are always chores to be done.  We will look at a song (not a surprise) that addresses this responsibility and obligation to work in the fold.  Stay tune as we continue to look at ‘doing chores’.  Let’s work together.

 

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That ‘Sinking Feeling’…

“I was sinking deep in sin, far from the peaceful shore.
Very deeply stained within, sinking to rise no more.
But the Master of the sea heard my despairing cry,
From the water lifted me now safe am I.”

Have you ever been in a situation when you were really feeling troubled?  Some have even referred to it as a “sinking feeling”.  Troubles can come upon us and cause stress, discomfort and an overall sense of discouragement.  There have been times when we have referred to difficulties in our lives as a storm or tribulation.  So what do we do when the storms begin to rage?  If you live on the beach or near the ocean you know the precautions that must be taken when the forecast call for hurricane type winds.  But the basis for this hymn comes from the text when Peter tries to walk on water.  Notice the text from Matthew 14, beginning at verse 27; “But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.’ Peter said to Him, ‘Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.’  And He said, ‘Come!’  And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus.  But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’  Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?’  When they got into the boat, the winds stopped.  And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, ‘You are certainly God’s Son!’.” 

From this passage we read that Peter, actually walked on the water with Jesus.  But like many of us, he was distracted by the concerns around him and eventually lost his focus.  The ‘stormy winds’ (vs.25) were real and the waves were a strong reminder to Peter that he was away from the security of the boat.  Do you feel the same when faced with stressful situations?  God calls us to come to Him just as Jesus called Peter to join Him on the surface of the Sea of Galilee.  But we know there will be storms and stressful situations.  When we start to struggle (sink), remember the words from this old hymn written in 1912 by James Rowe.

“Love lifted me!  When nothing else could help, love lifted me.”  Find the encouragement from the 2nd and 3rd verses of this old hymn.  “All my heart to Him I give, ever to Him I’ll cling.  In His blessed presence live, ever His praises sing.  Love so mighty and so true merits (spiritual credit) my soul’s best songs; Faithful loving service, too, to Him belongs.  Souls in danger, look above, Jesus completely saves; He will lift you by His love out of the angry ways.  He’s the Master of the sea, billows His will obey; He your Savior wants to be, be saved today.”

We know the storms of life will come, though we don’t know when.  Forecasting a storm allows those in it’s path to prepare themselves and ‘batten down the hatches’, but how many of us today are preparing for the storms of life?  Some are walking with Christ, but are still struggling as the winds and the waves slap us in the face.  Losing our focus on God and turning to the storm, we’re sinking.  Christ is waiting for you to reach out to Him and cry with a sincere heart, “Lord, save me!”  Unfortunately today, too many refuse to acknowledge the hand of Christ as He reaches out to lift us.  Not only do we exemplify ‘little faith’, our stubborn hearts doom us as we slowly sink in sin.

Would that we realize our plight and understand the stain of our sin.  When we come to realize how much trouble we have without Christ, we’ll reach out and let Him bring us safely back into His care.  Or do we bother; are we really concerned about that ‘sinking feeling’?  The world tells us to just bear down, endure, and get over it.  But you and I know that we can’t go along in this life and without doubt, we’ll drown if someone doesn’t rescue us.  Jesus cares and He will deliver you because He loves you.  His dedication to you and your relationship with Him is more than you might understand.  But I know and I’m convenience of this…His Love Lifted Me!