Does God Have You on a Mission Today?

John 20:21 (NIV)

Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”

Jerry’s teenage son Tom had a car with a very loud muffler, and since Jerry works fairly close to the Cole Muffler shop, he decided that he and Tom could exchange cars for the day. “I’ll take yours and drop it off at the muffler shop this morning,” Jerry explained. “And Pa” (Tom’s grandfather) “can pick me up there and give me a quick ride to work.” The plans sounded fine. As Jerry was leaving, he gave his father a call.

”When are you leaving for the shop?” his father asked.

“Right now,” Jerry said as he slid behind the wheel of his son’s car.

“I’ll meet you there,” Pa said. He was a retiree, always looking for ways to help others.

The muffler was even louder from inside the car, and Jerry was relieved when he pulled into Cole’s. He didn’t see his father’s car anywhere. “I was a little closer to this shop than Pa was,” Jerry said. “So I thought it would make more sense if I waited for him in the lounge.” There was just one young man and a little boy in the lounge. The dad was reading a magazine, but the little boy smiled shyly, and then looked at Jerry with curiosity. Jerry realized that, since the child and his father were African-American, perhaps the child was not used to seeing white people like Jerry.

“For some reason I just wanted to make him feel comfortable,” Jerry says, “so I smiled, and asked him a question. He told me his name, where he went to school and what subjects he liked best. Then I started talking.” But instead of the usual small talk, Jerry felt prodded to cover some topics he had never discussed before.

“For some reason, I told him about black and white people, and how God created all of us, and He didn’t care what color we were,” Jerry says. “I had never had a conversation like that with anyone.” The child seemed to hang on Jerry’s words while, all along, his father continued to read the magazine. “I told him how bad prejudice was, and to stay away from anger, and to be compassionate because we are all brothers and sisters,” Jerry says.” The boy stared at Jerry, his eyes huge. It was as if he were hearing all of this for the very first time.

Suddenly Jerry realized how much time had gone by. Where was Pa? He’d be late for work now. Jerry called his mother. “Where’s Pa?” he asked. “Did something happen?”

“Your father has called here twice,” she scolded him. “He’s been sitting at Cole Muffler for at least a half hour waiting for you. Where are you?”

Where was he? Jerry went outside to look at the sign. It was Monroe Muffler, not Cole. “I really screwed things up this morning,” Jerry said to his mother. “Please tell Pa I’ll be there in about ten minutes.” What a dumb thing to do! He thought, as he went back inside the lounge. He was angry with himself for making a mistake, and thought he should leave right away. But he also felt compelled to say goodbye to the little boy. He went into the lounge again, and this time both the child and his father stood up. The young man came towards him. Oh no! Was he angry that Jerry had spoken so personally to his son?

But no. The young man was putting out his arms, and wrapping them around Jerry. "I don't know how to tell you this,” he murmured, “but you have made my day."

The young man’s eyes were filled with tears, and the child looked at both of them with awe. Jerry started to protest…after all, he had just made a dumb mistake… “And then it hit me,,”Jerry says. “It was not a mistake. It was a mission, given to me by God.” For some reason, Jerry had been part of an answer to prayer. He would probably never know the what and why of the situation, but he had done what he was supposed to do.

The young man read his mind. “God works in incredible ways, doesn’t he?” he asked, then took his son by the hand and left the room. Jerry stood there for a moment, gathering his wits about him, and waved back at the little boy..

Sometimes God takes us out of our way to minister for Him.  Are your eyes open to see the mission God has before you?

Dear Lord, we thank You that You are there to lead and guide us.  Help us keep our eyes open so we can see what You have before us so we don’t miss the opportunity to serve You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

The Most Foolish Mistake of All

Psalm 53:1 (NIV)

The fool says in his heart,

    “There is no God.”

They are corrupt, and their ways are vile;

    there is no one who does good.

Lefkos Hajji was a man in love and decided to pop the marriage question to his girlfriend in a way she would never forget.

She won't.

Lefkos had his twelve thousand dollar diamond engagement ring placed into a helium-filled balloon. He planned to give his girl the balloon along with a pin to pop it. Then, when she picked up the ring from the popped balloon, he would pop the question.

Lefkos' plan was great; his execution, on the other hand, was a disaster. As he left the shop where he had the balloon filled with air, a gust of wind took it out of his hand. The balloon, along with the diamond ring, sailed away.

Lefkos, who lives in London said, "I couldn't believe it. I just watched as it went further and further into the air. It cost a fortune and I knew my girlfriend would kill me." The frustrated suitor jumped into his car and followed the balloon for two hours before balloon and ring sailed out of sight.

The story carried in the Telegraph reported Lefkos hopes someone will return the ring. I really hope that will happen, but I fear Lefkos will get that ring back at just about the same time his angry girlfriend starts speaking to him again.

You know, all of us do foolish things. True, we may not put a diamond ring in a helium-filled balloon, but we still manage to do our own foolish acts. But of all the foolish things we can do, Scripture is clear, nothing is MORE foolish than refusing to believe in God.

As Christians we believe there is a God because the heavens show us His handiwork. We believe in God because knowledge of His existence is written in our hearts. Most of all we believe there is a God because we have seen Him. We have seen His Son born in Bethlehem and crucified on Calvary's cross. We have stood before Jesus' empty tomb and, by God's grace, joined with Thomas in saying, "My Lord and my God."

The odds are, if you're like me, before today is over you will have done something very foolish. If that happens, won't you say a short thanksgiving prayer that the Lord has given you a faith that keeps you from making the most foolish mistake of all?

Dear Lord, may our foolish mistakes be small ones, and may they be mistakes not sins. Keep us in the faith, and bring others who say, "There is no God" to a trust in You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Things to Remember When Life Doesn't Seem Fair

Psalm 28:7 (NIV)

The Lord is my strength and my shield;

    my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.

My heart leaps for joy,

    and with my song I praise him.

We've all had days (and maybe even years) when life just doesn't seem to be going our way! We have all felt like nothing was working and everything was out of whack. We have had frustrating days where we just can’t seem to get anything accomplished.

In the grand scheme of things, a stressful morning doesn't impact life or eternity all that much, but in those longer seasons of joblessness, sickness, financial stress, marriage strain and other ongoing life events, the stress and frustration can seem overwhelming. Over the years as I have dealt with my bad back and the other problems it has brought I have learned a few things that have helped me and I pray they help you as well!

1. Remember that your Character should always be stronger than your Circumstances.

We can’t always control what happens to us, but we can always control how we choose to respond. In those moments when I choose to stop complaining and instead give thanks to God for the good in my life, the parts that seem bad start to seem much less significant. Choose to keep a positive attitude and thankful heart regardless of what you’re going through.

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

2. Remember that your Struggles always lead to Strength.

Every difficulty in your life, whether big or small, is something God will use to produce more strength, faith and perseverance in you if you let Him! All your pain has a purpose.

“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.” Romans 8:28

3. Remember that God’s timing is always perfect.

God’s plans are almost always different from our plans, but His plans are always perfect! Have the patience to wait on His timing instead of forcing your own.

“For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord; plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

4. Remember that God will never leave your side.

You may feel like you’re going through this struggle all alone, but from the moment you ask Jesus to bring you into God’s family, He will be by your side to the end so never lose hope!

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6

Dear Lord, we thank You that You are always there for us. We thank You for Your world that we can go to and gain strength from it. Help us continue to stay in Your world that we may be prepared to handle whatever life hands to us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. 

Happy Birthday America

Psalm 33:12 (NIV)

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,

    the people he chose for his inheritance.

Living in America is GREAT. On this America’s birthday let’s look at some interesting words someone wrote entitled, "Only in America."

1- Only in America can a pizza get to your house faster than an ambulance.

2- Only in America are there handicap parking places in front of a skating rink.

3- Only in America do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions, while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front.

4- Only in America do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries and a DIET coke.

5- Only in America do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and put our junk in the garage. Guilty of that.

6- Only in America do we use answering machines to screen calls and have call waiting so we won’t miss a call from someone we didn’t want to talk to in the first place.

7- Only in America do we buy hot dogs in packages of ten and buns in packages of eight.

As we celebrate the greatness of America there are many things that are sad and need to be fixed. Check out the words of George Carlin in which he titled, "Paradox of Our Time."

- The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints.

- We spend more, but have less. We buy more, but enjoy less.

- We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time.

- We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

- We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

- We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values.

- We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

- We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life. We’ve added years to life not life to years!

- We’ve been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor.

- We’ve done larger things, but not better things.

- We’ve cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul.

- We’ve conquered the atom, but not our prejudice.

- We write more, but learn less.

- We plan more, but accomplish less.

- We’ve learned to rush, but not to wait.

- We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

Even though there are a lot of negative things about America I still believe that America is the greatest country in the world. We are blessed to have been born and raised in America.

We keep asking God to bless America. He already has. Now it’s our turn to bless America.  God has and still is blessing America. But we need to do our part to bless America!

We can do many good things. We can be good citizens, vote, be patriotic, salute the flag, sing the national anthem, show courtesy to all people and especially, the elderly, obey the laws, pay our taxes, respect the law and its leaders. But on this the birthday of our nation the biggest thing we can and should do is pray. Pray for our leaders at every level that they will get on their knees and seek God’s face so that they make decisions that would be pleasing to God.

Dear Lord, we thank You for this great nation. We thank You for the founding fathers that let You be the foundation. We pray that once again we would turn our country back to You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

The Story of an 80 Acre Farm.

2 Corinthians 9:7 (NIV)

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

In 1989 they began conducting monthly outreach crusades in the government projects of their city. Using tents and community centers, they faithfully ministered year after year to people of all ages through evangelistic services, medical care, food, and clothing.

As the needs of people increased, more and more came to them with every imaginable need. This growing influx of people revealed to them the pressing need to have an onsite outreach in the area, which would better position them to meet their needs.

In 1998, a newspaper article identified the area of Tulsa as having the highest crime rate. The people began to pray that God would give them land for an outreach center that would turn the tide of violence and make this a place of peace. They wanted to see Jesus exalted in the middle of their neighborhood.

Within a few days two sisters named Mary Trotter and Martha Cobb contacted them. They informed them that their grandfather had left an 80-acre farm to them in the very location over which they had prayed, and that they had a desire to see the land used by the Lord as a community outreach. As they walked the property, they sensed in the Spirit that this was, indeed, special ground; there was a reason it had never been developed.

The Lord brought together a team in their church who started to research the land in courthouse records. They were told the land would never be rezoned for the purposes they desired; thus began the lengthy process of preparing the appropriate documentation needed to present a case for a special exception.

In November 1999, they appeared before the Tulsa County Commission, requesting a special exception to be made that the land might be used as an outreach facility. A pastor from the church presented their case with charts and explanations of the plans. One of the commissioners surprised them by saying, "if you had sent Sharon Daugherty to sing, this deal would already be over." At that point we knew God had gone before us!

They were soon granted the zoning they requested, which enabled them to begin the first phase of their dream.

Today they have almost 25,000 square feet that is comprised of the following: a medical area with a pharmacy, dental offices, clothing distribution area, computer center, gym, kitchen, and dining areas with a food distribution center. Outdoor areas for sports and recreational activities make possible make year-round outreach.

Mary and Martha gave what they had-they gave the farm. And because they did, on that land today worship and work, miracles and mentoring, praise and play are taking place year-round.

Are you willing to give what you have today to help further the kingdom of God?

Dear Lord, we thank You for what You have given to each of us.  We pray today that we would be willing to let You use it in whatever way You want us to.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

The Puzzle Pieces of Faith.

Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV)

8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

    neither are your ways my ways,”

declares the Lord.

9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,

    so are my ways higher than your ways

    and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Jigsaw puzzles aren't my forte. Trying to arrange 500 small pieces of cardboard into what it originally was isn't my idea of a fun day. My wife can sit for hours poring over the tiny pieces until they completed the project. Assembling the border is typically easy, but finding the missing pieces that make up the center can be challenging.

Paul was thrilled the believers in Thessalonica were growing in their relationship with Christ, but he knew there were more pieces of their faith puzzle to assemble. "Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith" (I Thessalonians 3:10).

Going through the motions of religious traditions can disguise the missing pieces of our spiritual journey. A rich young ruler once approached Jesus asking what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus rattled off a few of the commandments. He claimed to have obeyed them but still felt something was missing. Jesus told him to sell everything he had. His wealth wasn't wrong; it simply disguised the missing piece of his faith journey.

Nurturing our relationship with Jesus Christ is the missing piece. Having the relationship isn't all God wants for us. Like Paul, he wants our faith to grow so we can enjoy "on cloud nine" living. When we nurture our relationship through consistent prayer, Bible study, sharing our faith and spending time with other believers, the pressures and frustrations of life won't get us down. Rather, we'll rise to the top and soar through and above difficulties. Where's the missing piece in your faith puzzle?

Dear Lord, show us what's missing in our puzzle of faith today. Help us seek Your word that we may complete the puzzle and be a shining example to those around us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Don't Give in to Temptation.

1 Corinthians 15:57 (NIV)

But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Maori people of New Zealand were specialists in catching prey. They would study the habits of their prey, and based on this information, would design elaborate snares at their prey's most vulnerable time of day: when they were hungry and thirsty.

As a result, natural snares made out of such natural elements as strips from the leaflet mid rib of the Ti Kouka, could be found in various flowering trees. Other snares were set as perches for pigeons, right beside rivulets or pools. These birds, attracted by these comfy-looking devices, eagerly landed on them. However they had to pass their head through a noose in order to drink, and you can already guess, it this was the last time they ever got to put their noses (or should I say beaks?) where they didn't belong!

Interestingly, someone else is a specialist in catching prey, and he, too, uses weaknesses to his advantage. Take, for example, Jesus in the desert. Who came to Him after 40 days of no food? The evil one.

We always imagine a physical confrontation between the two, but nowhere in the Bible is there any mention of this. It could also have been the same type of temptations we receive: thoughts in the mind. Because so many will take such thoughts as their own, the devil loves this type of temptation!

But how did the evil one tempt Jesus at first?

Through his hunger! And boy when we haven't eaten for 40 days and suddenly we have thoughts about food, we will literally begin having deep, longing desires to satisfy our hunger! The devil will make it so real that we will think we have no alternative but to accept the offer set up for us, which in all reality is an alternative from trusting the Lord!

"After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." (Matt 4:2-3 NIV)

If we give in, we are automatically toast, burned to a crisp!

Jesus saw the temptation for what is was: a snare leading Him away from trusting God. And His reaction to temptations in general is a model of how we can face these victoriously: "Jesus said to him, Away from me, Satan! For it is written: "Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only."'" (Matt 4:10 NIV)

Let us see the snare for what it truly is! Let us not be fooled by the evil one into believing these are our own thoughts! Let us tell or even scream at him firmly that we are God's children and that he won't fool us. "Away from me, Satan!" Will force him to retreat and victory will be even sweeter when we, relying on God's Spirit, quote the Bible, (Naturally we will need to start reading God's Word in order to do so!) completing the utter defeat of the devil's ego.

Notice what the apostle Paul tells us about these "weapons" that are not "of this world" and that have " divine power to demolish strongholds". These weapons involve taking "captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ'. "Every thought"! This is the method the evil one uses to control us! Thoughts!

"The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." (2 Cor 10:4-6 NIV)

It is time we stand up and do not let ourselves be fooled by those thoughts that we think are our own! It is time we learn to say "NO!!!" to the evil one. It is time we learn how to make the devil flee! In Jesus' name, "Away from me, Satan!" It is time we claim victory in Jesus. "But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Cor 15:57 NIV) It is time we get ourselves acquainted with God's love letters, and learn to use them for what they were created for: giving us victory over thoughts that are not our own!

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things." (Phil 4:8-9 NIV)

The perches near those beautiful streams may seem attractive, but I am not stupid enough to stick my neck through a noose to become easy prey! "Away from me, Satan!"

Dear Lord, thank you for giving us victory and for setting such a great example of how to defeat the evil one. We want to tell You today that we love You. Thanks that we have nothing to fear, as long as I keep our eyes on You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.