No Matter How Tiny, It's Still Sin.

Romans 6:23 (New International Version)

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Volcanic ash is so tiny that a single piece would be hard to perceive with the naked eye, even if it came floating right past you. Volcanic ash is really volcanic rock that has been exploded through a volcano vent, but each one of these particles is no larger than 2 mm (0.1inch). How could such a tiny, inconspicuous "thing" ever hurt anyone?

They truly do have a bite to them, however (if you ever ate one, it would be far from pleasant!). The best way to describe them is that they are like sharp glass shards (Bon appétit!), damaging anything that they touch. Cars in Iceland, for example, are pitted by these tiny specks.

And these minute particles can even bring down something as big as a passenger jet. No wonder that in April 2010, flights were cancelled all over most of the European countries when one of the largest volcanoes in Iceland, Eyjafjallajokull, exploded. These tiny particles were deadly to both planes and their passengers.

Ferries and taxis were suddenly in high demand, as British citizens stranded on the continent desperately wished to return home. Thanks to the tunnel under the English Channel, extending from Calais in France, to Dover in England, taxis were engaged day and night driving their stranded passengers back home at prices that none of us would even like to imagine.

And all of this because of tiny 2mm particles!

Just as the little particles are deadly to the things around them our sins we commit each day are deadly. Our sins separated us from God and we must go to the Lord and ask forgiveness.

Dear Lord we thank You for dying on the cross so that our sins might be forgiven.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

How Big is Your Faith?

Ephesians 3:20 (New International Version)

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,

A preacher had been told by the head of a great shoe factory, that if he found any poor people who needed shoes, he could come to him and get them. In making his rounds one day soon afterward, the minister invited a man to attend his church.

“I would like to go,” said the man, “but my shoes are so nearly worn out that I would be ashamed to go to a meeting with them, and I am too poor to get any better.”

“Well, that shall not keep you away,” said the preacher; “I will get you a pair of shoes if you will come.”

“But I wouldn't like to go without my wife,” returned the man, “and her shoes are no better than mine.” The preacher promised to get the shoes for her, too.

“It would hardly be right to leave our three children at home, and they are all barefooted, too,” said the man in a hesitating way.

The preacher saw that he was in for it, and promised that the children should also have shoes. He then got their measurements and went to see his friend the shoe man. He feared that he was presuming too much on the promise he had received, and thought the shoe man might feel that he was abusing his kindness, but when the situation was laid before him, the merchant smiled and said: “All right; come with me.”

Together they took the elevator and went to one of the upper floors, where they landed in a large room that was filled with shoes. The shoe man pointed to one whole side of the room, and said: “All the shoes on these shelves are set aside for just such cases as yours, and when you have any more of the same kind just come here and help yourself.”

Of course the preacher felt very small when he thought of how little he had expected from his generous friend, in proportion to what he was willing to give.

Dear Lord we pray today that we would not have a little faith but that we would have a great faith knowing that You give to us generously. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Would You Say "Grace" With No Food On The Table?

Psalm 37:25 (New International Version)

I was young and now I am old,

    yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken

    or their children begging bread.

Arch Heffron was destined to become one of the great educators of the Adventist Church in Australia. But on this day during the Great Depression, that destiny was far in the future.

Times were tough. So tough that the food had run out. Not nearly run out -- it had completely run out. There was nothing for the man, his wife, and his children to eat. Absolutely nothing.

Scripture says:

"I have never seen the righteous forsaken, nor their children begging bread."

But on this day in the 1930s, it seemed as if that promise was about to fail.  Where would the food come from? What could they do?  There was nothing else for young Arch Heffron to do except gather his wife and children to the meal table.

"Let's bow our heads for grace," he said.

Grace! With no food in the house -- not a single crumb in the house!  But the family obeyed. They bowed their heads, closed their eyes, and the father prayed. Then it happened.

While the family was saying grace at the empty meal table, there was a knock at the front door.  Arch went to the door.

"We had a party at our place last night," said a neighbour. "We have food left over. Could you use some?"

What incredible faith! Thanking God for food when there was no food. Think about it. Others may have been cursing God by this stage. Arch and his family were praising God by saying grace around an empty meal table.

There really was no need for young Arch's family to worry. They did not need food until the instant they were about to eat it. And at that instant, God provided.

Dear Lord we pray that our faith in You will be strong enough that we would say grace even if there was no food on the table. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Is Your focus on the Right Thing?

Matthew 6:6 (New International Version)

But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Highway 1, also known as the "Ring Road", is the only two-lane highway that encircles Iceland. In most places it is built quite a bit higher than its surroundings, probably to avoid flash flooding. It is, over all, a good road, however one of the primary dangers, other than possibly hitting sheep who amble freely over the road, is what is called a "rollover". Due to the fact that the road is raised over much of the island, if one wheel leaves the road, there's a good chance that the car will roll down the embankment and be totaled. Or so it was stated on a display near Reykjavik, the capital, at the site of two former rollovers.

If you focus on the road, there is absolutely no danger of rollovers. If fatigue settles in, however, or some distraction or another captures your attention (like the many sheep crossing the road, or the glaciers or volcanoes or lava fields or waterfalls or geysers, to name a few!), you may be in for a "rolling" surprise! Friends, these rollovers are real, and they happen too often to be ignored!

Such "rollovers" are even more frequent in our spiritual life. Instead of staying focused, it seems our attention has a tendency to stray. In a hectic world filled with stress and distractions, how could it be otherwise? Tell that to the poor chap who totaled his car. It won't make him feel any better!

Have you noticed that every time you had a spiritual car wreck, your focus was not where it should have been? Maybe this is why Jesus urges us to spend time with God in a place without distractions. Our focus can only be on God. Only then can we "begin to sense his grace." More often than not, the reason why we may not sense God's presence is because our focus has strayed!

If we want to experience fully our loving God, we need to fix our focus. Too often we look at anything but what is truly important: "Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in.

Dear Lord we pray that we would keep our eyes focused on You.  In everything we do today help us do it for You and not ourselves. In Jesus’ name, Amen. 

Lessons form a Puzzle

Romans 8:28 (New International Version)

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

This past Christmas I was given a puzzle in the shape of the United States all using license plates. I usually don’t work on puzzles but this one interested me.

I must admit, I really enjoyed the puzzle. Although very frustrating at times, it was a challenge. Each time I found a piece that fit, it was extremely rewarding.

Have you ever realized how many similarities there are between puzzles and life? In a puzzle each piece plays such an important part in the big picture. In life, it’s people and events that play the important parts. As with pieces in a puzzle, each of us is unique, special in our own way. Although we may appear similar, there are no two alike. Ironically it’s our differences that make us fit.

While I was working on this puzzle, I would find a piece that I was sure belonged in this particular spot. But it didn’t fit. I just kept going back to it and trying to make it fit, forgetting that I tried it already. I guess I had my mind set on the fact that I felt it belonged there.

It made me think about how many times I’ve done that in my life. Trying to make things happen that just weren’t meant to be. I’d try over and over again even to the point of forcing it – but it wasn’t meant to be… and nothing I did changed that.

When you do puzzles, you spend so much time looking for one specific piece. You think you knew what it looked like, it seemed so obvious… but you couldn’t find it. You get so wrapped up into finding that one piece that you couldn’t see beyond it. You get frustrated and decided to let it go and step away from it for a while. When you come back to it later, you find it immediately. It was right in front of you all along.

Life has been like that for me sometimes. I try so hard to understand why things happen the way they do. I search high and low for the answers and sometimes the answers are right in front of me. It isn’t until I stop, take a step back, breathe and let it go – that the answers find me.

As I sat there looking at the pieces in this puzzle, I started thinking about the “pieces” in my life: my family, my friends, events, milestones and celebrations. There’s such a mixture of good and bad, joy and tears, happiness and sorrow.

I thought about all those pieces that I didn’t feel were important or had purpose. I reflected on all those pieces in my life that caused me to ask why… “Why me, God?”… “Why this?”. I suddenly realized that it was because of those pieces that other pieces were able to fall into place.

Everything in our lives happens for a reason. Each event, whether good or bad, signifies a piece of the puzzle. You take away one piece and it upsets the entire harmony of the finished product. I am learning to understand that even though some of the pieces in my life aren’t pleasant and some of them bring me pain and heartache, without them I couldn’t move on. No matter how unimportant I think they are, they bring me one step closer to wholeness.

We can’t possibly look at the pieces of our lives right now and understand the important role that each one of them plays, there are too many holes and the picture isn’t clear. But I know that when my journey on this Earth comes to an end, and that final piece is put into place, I’m going to look back and understand. I’ll no longer wonder why there was so much pain, or why certain people came and went in my life. And I’ll be able to see the complete picture and the beauty that went into each piece that made it whole.

Until then, I will continue to live on in faith. Knowing and trusting that all the pieces that I need are there and that it only takes a matter of time before they fall into place. Remembering that there is a big picture, a plan for me, that I’m unable to see right now. Believing that each piece of my life, even the painful ones, have purpose and play an important role. And when I’m weak, I will seek strength through prayer. I do all this in hopes that on that glorious day, when Gods masterpiece of me is finally complete, He will then whisper… “Well done”.

Dear Lord I pray that we will look toward You for the big picture. Help us not get stuck on looking at the little pieces of life but trust that You are in control. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Business and Faith like a Mustard Seed.

Matthew 17:20 (New International Version)

He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Does God do miracles in business? Is He concerned about the mountains we face in our work life? Does He want us to bring the everyday problems we face in the workplace to His attention? The answer to every one of these questions is yes. God wants to be involved in every aspect of our lives.

Gunnar Olson, the Swedish founder of the International Christian Chamber of Commerce, tells a story about God performing a miracle in his own business a few years ago. He owns a plastics company in Sweden. They make huge plastic bags that are used to cover bales of hay in the farmlands across Europe. It was the harvest season and they were getting ready to ship thousands of pallets of these bags to their customers. More than 1,000 pallets were ready to ship when an alarming discovery was made. Every bag on the warehouse floor had sealed shut from top to bottom. Scientists declared the entire stock as worthless trash. Nothing could be done. The company would go out of business.

Gunnar, his wife, and children sought the Lord in prayer about this catastrophe. The Holy Spirit spoke through various family members. The wife said, "If God can turn water into wine, what are plastics?" The daughter said, "I don't believe this is from the Lord. We should stand against it." Gunnar sensed they were to trust God for a miracle in this situation. They began to pray. They took authority over this mountain of a problem based on Matthew 17, which gave them the authority to cast a mountain into the sea if faith only the size of a mustard seed could be exercised. The following Monday they went to the warehouse and laid hands on every pallet asking the Lord to restore the bags to their original condition. It took several hours. Later, the employees began to inspect the bags. As they inspected the bags, they discovered that every single bag had been restored to its original condition! An incredible miracle had taken place. What obstacles have been placed in your life that need a miracle today? Could God be setting the stage in your life for you to trust Him at new levels you've never trusted before? God sets the stage to allow His power to be revealed for those willing to exercise the faith of a mustard seed. All things are possible with God.

Dear Lord we thank You that You are a God of miracles. We pray that we would trust You in all things even when things look the worse. Help us to pray to with the faith of a mustard seed. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Footbridge, Where is Your Faith?

Galatians 2:20 (New International Version)

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

He preached faith and he practiced what he preached. So, in the goodness of his heart, he was taking a few groceries to an ‘economically challenged’ family who lived over the creek.

He came to the footbridge and saw it was eroded by heavy rain. It was not safe to walk across and a warning notice had been placed there by Council.

He hesitated. The needy family across the creek won. They needed the groceries he carried and faith would not let them go hungry. He prayed for ten minutes until he felt spiritually in tune and full of faith.

First one foot on the bridge, then another. Courage grew and faith grew even stronger. Each step confirmed his faith in his faith. Then half way across, the whole bridge gave way and down he went.

Fortunately he was able to get out but he had to go home and clean up.

Next day, he journeyed forth again and saw the bridge had been repaired.

‘No way,’ he thought. ‘I don’t trust bridges any more,’ and of course, he was clear out of faith. Well, maybe not quite, there was just a half glow of faith still there.

So with his very little bit of faith, he stepped on to the bridge. ‘It’ll go any minute,’ he said but it didn’t, it carried him all the way.

So let us summarize: on the first day, with strong faith and a weak bridge, he fell: on the second day with minimal faith and a strong bridge, he walked across.

Think of our Lord as the strong bridge. Faith in him is better than faith in faith. ‘My present mortal life is lived by faith in the Son of God.’ Galatians 2:20.

Dear Lord we pray that today we would put our faith directly in You and not the things around us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.