THE FINISH LINE

I hesitate posting anything that is too personal or that some may critique as being self-serving. However –

I Was Just Thinking About – The Finish Line.

I was reading a blog posted by a man who has been in ministry for a very long time. Based upon those who participated in the recent Olympics, he wrote these words about the follower and servant of Jesus Christ as the finish line nears: “When God called you, He did so with the full expectation that you would be a winner, not a whiner — that you would finish the race with joy, not drop out along the way. Paul looked back on his life and ministry saying: I have finished the race, I have kept the faith (2 Timothy 4:7). He was eligible for the prize … the crown.”

Facebook has some useful purposes - allowing one to recall and keep up with friends from the past is one of them. There are a few of us who began the ministry journey and race in September 1954. By God’s grace, some of us are still privileged to be engaged in ministry. Obviously, the youthful vigor has given way to a more measured pace. We realize the finish line is much closer. The spirit of former classmates and longtime friends is not one of being in competition with each another but being an encouragement to stay in stride and fulfill God’s calling upon us. We find ourselves claiming more of God’s promises, not the least of which is Deuteronomy 33:25, “As your days, so shall your strength be.”

A Biblical hero of the faith has been a model for me over the years. Caleb (Joshua 14) had been a faithful servant and Moses had promised him an inheritance. After helping others get settled, Caleb is 85 years of age and appeals to Joshua that he would like to face the challenge of settling in his inheritance. His appeal are words that I and the aforementioned ones who began this journey together in 1954 have great meaning: (Joshua 14:11-12): “I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day.” 

With this type of commitment, we continue on this journey toward the finish line. We may not be finish first but that is not our purpose. Our gifts and talents have not all been the same but we have sought to make use of them so that at the finish line we may hear the words of our Lord and Master (Matthew 25:23): “Well done, faithful servant.”

Prayerfully – consider these things with me.

BEING FIRST AND FOREMOST

I Was Just Thinking About – Being First and Foremost.

Within any area of life, we can usually meet or become aware of those with an inner drive for recognition. They just have to be noticed or be seen as first among equals. They will do or say whatever it takes to gain and maintain that status. There is rarely any display of humility or inability because that might tarnish their image or ambition to be first and the most capable within a given group.

An inherent danger and consequence in the drive to be viewed as First and Foremost is stated by Jesus in Luke 11:43, “Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.” In a similar verse of Scripture, a Commentator (Pulpit Commentary) shares this thought: “Peter said, We have forsaken all. Alas! it was but a poor all, only a few boats and nets; yet observe how Peter speaks, as if it had been some mighty thing. We are too apt to make the most of our services and sufferings, our expenses and losses, for Christ. Our Savior does away a mistake of some. The heavenly inheritance is not given as earthly ones are, but according to God's pleasure. Let us not trust in promising appearances or outward profession. Others may, for aught we know, become eminent in faith and holiness.”

Some may believe that if they don’t “toot their own horn, no one else will toot it for you.” In the drive for recognition, some will become name-droppers; or those who quote from accepted scholars; or being well-read (even if they are only quoting a summary of someone else). Is this what we have become as the people of God and servants of the Master – “horn-tooters” – so that we’ll gain recognition among others?

In whom and in what does the Lord take delight? The Scriptures indicate plainly, Micah 6:8, “He has told you…what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” When one is “walking humbly with his God”, he will not conduct himself as though he is superior to all others; that he is to be heard as the greater influence; that he is the leader above all his peers; or that he must be viewed as First and Foremost – always!

Prayerfully – Consider these things with me!

O Master, let me walk with Thee, 

In lowly paths of service free;

Tell me Thy secret; help me bear 

The strain of toil, the fret of care.

HUNGER PANGS

I Was Just Thinking About – HUNGER PANGS.

A group focused on World Hunger reminds us: In many parts of the world, people’s lives are impacted by hardship, illiteracy, inadequate health care, hunger and poverty every day. World Vision, Australia shares their perspective of World Hunger and associated needs in their report: In 3016, the United Nations estimates that 795 million people (approximately 1/10 of the world’s population) still don’t have enough nutritious food to eat each day. Fifty-two countries are facing unprecedented food crises. Poverty remains as the leasing cause of hunger, although many people are impacted by armed conflict and extreme weather conditions.

No one should denigrate or ignore world hunger or the accompanying poverty of millions of people. In like manner, there should be a concern for the increasing crises of spiritual hunger, illiteracy and poverty. The prophet Amos shared the Word of the Lord with the people of his day:  “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord God, when I will send a famine on the land - not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, to seek the word of the Lord, but they shall not find it” (Amos 8:11-12). While some might seek to deny these words, the reality of them is evidenced in the larger denominations of the USA and the deteriorating condition of many smaller churches that are struggling for survival.

Is there a remedy for the immediate spiritual need in the culture and our country? Jesus Christ stated it clearly when He said: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied" (Matthew 5:6). At a crucial moment in human history, there was a renewed hunger for hearing the Word of the Lord. The people had become desirous of knowing whether or not God had answers for their needs, problems or guidelines for their lives. The scene is Jerusalem. The people had asked the priest, Ezra, to bring the Law of God to their attention and read it to them (Nehemiah 8:1-8). The passage indicates that the people stood and listened from dawn until noon. For too long of a period of time, they had ignored and suppressed the Word of the Lord as a meaningful part of their lives. 

Question: Does our nation need to pay attention to its spiritual hunger need and pangs? The nation knows it has needs. It also knows that God and His Word have been ignored. We need to reverse course and seek the Lord while He may be found. Prayerfully – Consider these things with me!

COMMUNICATION

I Was Just Thinking About – COMMUNICATION.

Sorrow attaches itself to more than when a loved one or friend has died. A person who is isolated or ignored has a sorrowful burden of loneliness. A person living in an area where squalor and crime is a daily reality and fear have a measure of sorrow because of being trapped where they are through no choice of their own. Racial tensions, rioting, attack of civil authority is one means of expression of inner-frustration on the one hand and the result of cultural orientation that allows for misconduct and crime as the alternative self-determination to neither be seduced by the local environmental culture nor complicit with it. We must always remember – we do not sorrow/grieve like those without hope (I Thessalonians 4:13).

From the outside looking in, the Biblical Christian has a choice. Too often an incorrect choice is made that allows one to become indifferent, or critical rather than exerting oneself to being and making a difference. In this regard, no matter how demonstrative and riotous segments of the nation becomes, there needs to be a way to communicate the mandate of Jesus Christ to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39). Will it be easy and readily accepted by the cultural ghetto mindset? Probably, not! Does that excuse the Biblical Christian from making such an effort? Absolutely, no!

In today’s devotional, Strength For The Journey, Joseph Stowell wrote: “Jesus’ life and ministry dramatically demonstrated that the word prejudice is not in His vocabulary. In fact, He hates prejudice in any form. He detests racism, classism, and religious snobbery. Why? Because it defies who He is and what He came to do. No one escaped the embrace of His love and concern. And He calls us to love as He did—without limits. But prejudice blocks our ability to love as he did and denies us the privilege of being like Him in our world. When the Pharisee hoped to embarrass Jesus by asking Him to name the greatest commandment, Jesus answered that we should love God with the totality of our being. And although it was more than the scheming lawyer had asked for, Jesus added the second most important command: “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39). Not “second” meaning less important, but sequentially. In other words, the authenticity of our love for God is measured by our attitudes and acts of love for others.”

What do we as Biblical Christians communicate by our lives and actions? Prayerfully – Consider these things with me!

Copied From – Our Daily Bread (Archives)

"I was a teen. My parents had split recently. My father drank a lot and would come home after the bars closed and make me get up just so he had someone to push around. I had an older brother that took his frustrations out on me also. Mom was in a far away state, unreachable. My room was in the basement. When the lights went out, it was so dark you could not see your hand in front of your face. It was not only dark in my room, but in my heart. I felt hopeless and considered suicide. I had been to church in the past with my family when i was small and again in Jr. High with friends, but did not know Christ at all. All i understood was that God was everything. One night as i lay in bed, drifting off, i was aware that i was walking down a path in the dark. I could not see a thing but somehow i knew exactly where to put my feet. I walked only a short distance and then a blinding light shone and i heard two words only. “I’m here”. I woke up crying because i knew, without a doubt, i was not alone and never would be. God came to me when i wasn’t even looking, and told me He was there and always has been and always will be. My heart was filled and remains that way today, 35 years later. I have not one doubt that my Father in heaven has seen me through every second of every day of my life."