Author: E. DeWayne Swann

“Sometimes, I Guess There Just Aren’t Enough Rocks”

In the movie “Forrest Gump”, Forrest and Jenny are walking down the road that Jenny was raised on, and they come upon her old home place, then all of a sudden Jenny starts throwing rocks at the house, all the bad memories of her youth caught up with her all at once and the rocks start flying. She threw and threw until she couldn’t find another rock and falls to the ground exhausted.

That’s when Forrest says. “Sometimes, I Guess There Just Aren’t Enough Rocks”.

And that’s the way it is at times everything seems to hit you all at once. All the emotion of the past comes down on us.

Nothing we can do to erase the heartache and hurt that is long behind us.

Sometimes objects in the rear-view mirror may appear closer than they really are, and we let yesterday destroy our today and control our steps for tomorrow.

So, the things of yesterday sneak up, and before we know it, we are knocked down, we have thrown every rock we could find, every excuse why the things happened and wondering why they had to happen to me?

But the problem is that the past is still there. The memories are still there, the money is gone, the love is gone, and all that I thought I would have, is now gone.

And as the song says:

“I’m diggin’ up bones, I’m diggin’ up bones,

Exhuming things that’s better left alone”

Paul said to the Church of Philippi:

Philippians 3:13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.  NKJV

We can’t continue onward always looking back, you can’t go too yesterday; you can only live for today with hopes for tomorrow.

Luke 9:62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” NKJV

The song “The Anchor Holds” says:

I’ve had visions, I’ve had dreams; I’ve even held them in my hand.

But I never knew they would slip right through, like they were only grains of sand.

Slipping through our fingers as sand, until it is gone, and then we sit and think what might have been, or why couldn’t it have been different?

Then it hits me.

I am the one who has control. I am the one digging up bones. And I am the one exhuming things that are better left alone.

So, how do I not let this get me down yet again?

Again, Paul said to the Church of Philippi:

Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say, rejoice!

Praise God for whom He is and what He has done, Paul said. “Rejoice in the Lord” When?  “Always” that means all the time.

5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.

6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication,

(that means your heartfelt burdens and your petitions or requests) With Thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;

7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

So, where does this peace of God come from? Keep reading.

Ponder on these things:

8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy — meditate on these things. 9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

So, the “peace of God” comes from, the “God of peace.”

June 15, 1989, at my home Church in Powder Springs, Georgia, around 7:00 pm, I knelt down in Pastor Ben Turner’s office as Pastor Snyder went over the plan of salvation.

He said, “You know this, you know what to do,” and I did know, as I had said I was raised in Church, we were usually the first ones there and the last to leave and I had helped build the very building we were sitting in.

I had worked in ministries and even led people to the Lord. I was, and I would like to think I still am, a pretty good guy, but because I had never accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior, I WAS HELL BOUND.

The day before this, I felt as if my world was coming to an end, and as far as I cared, my life could have ended right then.

But, (don’t you just love conjunctions? I do, it means the story is not over yet.) I did bow my head, and I did ask Jesus to save me, and HE DID SAVE ME.

Over the last 30-something years, He (Jesus) has NOT walked away and left me alone, and he never once stopped Loving me that I can count on, He said:

Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.” NKJV

Josh 1:5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. NKJV

Philippians 4:10 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. 11 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: 12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

And here it is this is how we face tomorrow and not let yesterday control us:

13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

The song “The Anchor Holds” says:

But it was in the night,

Through the storms of my life,

Oh, that’s where God proved, His love to me,

The anchor holds, Though the ship is battered,

The anchor holds, Though the sails are torn,

I have fallen on my knees,

As I faced the raging seas,

The anchor holds,

In spite of the storm.

So just drop anchor and hold on, God’s not done with you yet.

Friend

Friend, is a word that we throw around a lot, but the question is do you know what a friend is? My computer program definition goes as follows:

Friend [frend] Noun plural noun: friends, plural noun: Friends

1. a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection, typically exclusive of sexual or family relations. “she’s a friend of mine”

synonyms companion, bosom friend, best friend, close friend, intimate, confidante, confidant, familiar, soul mate, alter ego, second self, shadow, playmate, playfellow, classmate, schoolmate, workmate, ally, comrade, associate, sister, brother, pal, bosom pal, buddy, bosom buddy, chum, spar, sidekick, crony, main man…  antonyms enemy

2. a member of the Religious Society of Friends; a Quaker.

Verb; third person present: friends, present participle: friending, past tense: friended, past participle: friended

1. add (someone) to a list of contacts associated with a social networking website.

“I am friended by 29 people who I have not friended back”

2. befriend (someone).

origin

Old English frēond, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch vriend and German Freund, from an Indo-European root meaning ‘to love’, shared by free.

Jordan Peterson said this on Instagram

“Here’s how you know that you have a true friend, there’s a simple way to know if you got a true friend in your corner,

Isabella Lundy said it best “True friendship with stance time distance and silence.”

If you got these three things you got to ride or die.

Number 1

A true friend is a friend for life, you both grow, evolve, and hit different stages but you still rock with each other through it all. It’s not about always being on the same wave it’s about respecting each others journey.

Number 2

You don’t got to be in the same place, real friends, they support you even from a distance. Maybe you move away, maybe they start chasing different dreams,

that’s all good, you want them to win just as much as you want to win yourself.

Number 3

Probably The most important one, is you don’t need to be talking every day sometimes you will go weeks, or months without chopping it up. But when you do it’s like you never missed a beat, that’s how you know it’s real.

If you got people like that in your life hold onto them. That’s rare.”

I was told: “A friend is someone you call if you are in jail and need bail to get you out.” And a best friend is: Someone you can’t call because he is sitting in jail with you.”

My Story;

In the late 1990s, I had the pleasure of being our Church sound coordinator, this also meant that I was responsible for running the sound for our choir. Running the sound for the choir also came the responsibility of going with them to singing appointments. I enjoyed and loved mixing the sound for the Church and the choir as long as we were at our Church, or close to home where I could drive. The Church choir had gotten a pretty good reputation at that time for being anointed. God seemed to use us a lot at that time.

The problem was we were invited to do the Smoky Mountain Jubilee in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, which wasn’t too bad because I would ride up with the drummer, who is a dear friend, and help him set up his kit. Tennessee wasn’t too bad of a ride, and the Evangelist that ran the Jubilee was also a Pastor of a Church in Virginia, and he invited us to go to his annual Church Jubilee. So, now, we are going to go to Virginia and minister there.

There is one of many reasons that I do not want to go, the main reason is the same reason I don’t like to fly, the same reason I don’t like to be in an elevator, the same reason that I don’t like being in the back of a large crowd. I am and have always been claustrophobic. I don’t like closed-in places and I don’t like being anywhere that I can’t control when and where I can stop and get out of the room or the vehicle. With that known our pastor, Snyder, came to me and asked me to go with them and that I could have any seat on the bus that they chartered. I asked any and he assured me any. So, I insisted that I drive, knowing that that was not going to happen and knowing that I didn’t trust my little S 10 truck to make the trip at the time, I thought that I would get out of going, but I did not.

Now I am on a bus that I don’t want to be on and going somewhere that I didn’t want to go. As I have stated I love my Church and the choir and mixing the music and singers, I went not to please God but to please man, which is never the reason to minister, but God had me where he wanted me for a reason.

I love good preaching and I truly love anointed preachers, such as Tony Evans, Ike Reighard, Dr. Charles Stanley, Andy Stanley, and on and on. A few weeks before we headed out on this outing, I had the chance to go to the Bailey Smith Real Evangelism Conference, in Marietta, Georgia at Roswell Street Baptist Church, Pastored by Nelson Price. After attending there for a week, I had an opportunity to purchase many cassette tapes. (I said that this was in the 90s didn’t I) There were some great sermons and testimonies on these tapes and some would just break your heart.  So, I decided that I would bring all my tapes and my little tape player, some headphones, and enough batteries to make the trip and back, with batteries to spare. Now I was hoping that I could just submerge myself in preaching and never contemplate being on a bus full of people and having little to no control over the situation.

Now I am set, hoping, and praying that no one would bother me and remind me of my surroundings. I was sitting alone and I liked it that way, everyone else was talking and getting ready for a great time together, and as the bus was loading up to go. I made sure that I got a seat next to a window and not too far from the front so that if I had a meltdown, I could be drugged off the bus rather easily. People already knew who they wanted to be with and where they wanted to sit. So, all was going just the way I wanted it to go, Until, (I have said in the past “until” is hardly ever a good word to hear in a story). She said may I sit with you? And everything inside me was screaming NO! But I tried to conjure up a smile and said sure.

I spent most of my time in that Church at that time either in the sound room or in the pulpit. I am sorry to say that I am not much of a social person, don’t get me wrong, I love people and I care deeply for their souls. But, because of certain circumstances, I got to a point in my life where I was really careful who I let get close to me. Way too many people have come into my life and I have gotten close to them and now they are gone. I was not on that bus but for one reason and one reason only and that was to get to our destination and do my responsibility. Not to socialize and definitely, not to make any new friends. But I believe that God had other plans.

As I recall I told her she could sit with me if she left me alone, her name is Dianne, and she seemed to be okay with that because she had a book she wanted to read and acted as if she didn’t want to be bothered either. Boy, was I wrong about not wanting to talk with me? Her son is our drummer and a great friend of mine, so I thought she would be okay to be around because I always enjoy being around Mark.

As the trip progressed, she started asking me questions, and I thought why not talk maybe it would get my mind off the fact that I was still on a bus. It didn’t work, so to get her quiet I offered for her to listen to some of my tapes, and she took me up on the offer. As she sat there listening, I saw her starting to tear up and then I remembered that I had just given her the tape of Ike Reighard testimony. It is a great sermon and testimony, and it broke her heart. After listening to it, she got yet another tape, and then after completing it, she said you sure listen to some tear-jerkers. We then started talking about what she had been listening to. If you want a preacher to be your friend, just ask him a spiritual question about the Word of God and sit back and enjoy the ride.

That happened well almost thirty years ago, and to this day I consider her one of the few friends I call close. She later came to work as my company office manager and was by far my best employee. She was encouraging when I needed encouragement and never worried about my feelings when it came to setting me straight when I started to drift. We all need people like that in our life. She and her husband were in the Journey Group that I have the honor of teaching and is someone I love dearly. You just never know who God is going to put in your life and for what reason.

Oswald Chambers said, “Friendship is rare on earth. It means identity in Thought and Heart and Spirit.”

1. C. S. Lewis said friendships are discovered when you say, “What, you too?! I thought I was the only one” (Four Loves, 248).

Hanya Yanagihara @deadpoetswilde says, “Friendship is the most underrated relationship in our lives. It remains the one relation not bound by law, blood, or money – but an unspoken agreement of love.”

Very few people have met those criteria in my life, and I bet the same can be said for most of us. We claim hundreds or even thousands of friends on Facebook and other social media outlets, and have never met many of them. How can they be friends?

In the Book of John, it says:

“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” … and then Jesus continues “No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.”  NKJV

As of the writing of this, we as a nation just remembered the 75th anniversary of  “D Day” and how these men of the greatest generation of Americans

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

“What a Friend We Have in Jesus” is a Christian hymn originally written by preacher Joseph M. Scriven as a poem in 1855 to comfort his mother who was living in Ireland while he was in Canada. Scriven originally published the poem anonymously and only received full credit for it in the 1880s. The tune to the hymn was composed by Charles Crozat Converse in 1868. William Bolcom composed a setting of the hymn.

What a Friend We Have in Jesus

By, Alan Jackson

What a friend we have in Jesus. All our sins and griefs to bear!

What a privilege to carry Everything to God in prayer!

Oh, what peace we often forfeit, Oh, what needless pain we bear,

All because we do not carry Everything to God in prayer!

Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?

We should never be discouraged— Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Can we find a friend so faithful? Who will all our sorrows share?

Jesus knows our every weakness; Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy-laden? Cumbered with a load of care?

Precious Savior, still our refuge—Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer!

In His arms He’ll take and shield thee. Thou wilt find a solace there.

Blessed Savior. Thou hast promised Thou wilt all our burdens bear;

May we ever, Lord, be bringing All to Thee in earnest prayer.

Soon in glory bright, unclouded. There will be no need for prayer—

Rapture, praise, and endless worship Will be our sweet portion there.

As Christians, we should know that Jesus is our friend, but we need to make sure that we introduce the surrounding people to Him also. One of the talks in a Christian weekend retreat that I work with on occasion, says “Make a friend, be a friend, and bring that friend to Jesus”.

I have this penned in the back of my Bible

“If I just do my thing and you do yours, we stand in danger of losing each other and ourselves, we are fully ourselves only in relation to each other, and the “I” detached from the “thou,” is disintegrating. I do not find you by chance, I find you by an active life of reaching out” by Walter Tubbs

Did Jesus not say in Mark 16:15 …” Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. NKJV

All the world and let everyone as you come in contact with them know about Jesus. As it has been said, “No one cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.”

I love the Randy Newman song for “Toy Story”:

“You’ve Got A Friend in Me”.

You’ve got a friend in me, You’ve got a friend in me,

When the road looks rough ahead, And you’re miles and miles,

From your nice warm bed, You just remember what your old pal said,

Boy, you’ve got a friend in me, Yeah, you’ve got a friend in me.

You’ve got a friend in me, You’ve got a friend in me,

You’ve got troubles, I’ve got ’em too, There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you,

We stick together and we see it through, Cause you’ve got a friend in me,

You’ve got a friend in me.

Some other folks might be A little bit smarter than I am,

Bigger and stronger too, Maybe,

But none of them will ever love you, The way I do,

It’s me and you, boy.

And as the years go by, Our friendship will never die,

You’re gonna see it’s our destiny, You’ve got a friend in me,

You’ve got a friend in me, You’ve got a friend in me.

The word friend is found some 58 times in the NKJV, 22 of those are in the New Testament. Jesus used the word 14 of those 22 times.

Why does one need a friend, Solomon said in Ecclesiastes that two is better than one, and we need to make sure the one with our one is the one that God desires for us to have in our lives.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (NKJV) 9 Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor. 10 For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up. 11 Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; But how can one be warm alone? 12 Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

I saw this and was compelled to add it to this chapter;

“It occurred to Pooh and Piglet that they hadn’t heard from Eeyore for several days, so they put on their hats and coats and trotted across the Hundred Acre Wood to Eeyore’s stick house. Inside the house was Eeyore.

“Hello Eeyore,” said Pooh.

“Hello, Pooh. Hello Piglet,” said Eeyore, in a Glum Sounding Voice.

“We just thought we’d check in on you,” said Piglet, “because we hadn’t heard from you, and so we wanted to know if you were okay.”

Eeyore was silent for a moment. “Am I okay?” he asked, eventually. “Well, I don’t know, to be honest. Are any of us really okay? That’s what I ask myself. All I can tell you, Pooh and Piglet, is that right now I feel really rather Sad, and Alone, and Not Much Fun To Be Around At All. Which is why I haven’t bothered you. Because you wouldn’t want to waste your time hanging out with someone who is Sad, and Alone, and Not Much Fun To Be Around At All, would you now.”

Pooh looked at Piglet, and Piglet looked at Pooh, and they both sat down, one on either side of Eeyore in his stick house.

Eeyore looked at them in surprise. “What are you doing?”

“We’re sitting here with you,” said Pooh, “because we are your friends. And true friends don’t care if someone is feeling Sad, or Alone, or Not Much Fun to Be Around At All. True friends are there for you anyway. And so here we are.”

“Oh,” said Eeyore. “Oh.” And the three of them sat there in silence, and while Pooh and Piglet said nothing at all; somehow, almost imperceptibly, Eeyore started to feel a very tiny little bit better.

Because Pooh and Piglet were There.

No more; no less.”

(A.A. Milne, E.H. Shepard)

We must be very careful not only to whom we call friends but to whom we let in our life as a friend.

I like what a young preacher in our Church once said in one of his first sermons and that is if you take a white glove and put it on your hand and then submerge that hand in mud, the glove gets muddy. It is never said that the mud got glovie. (I know that glovie is not a word, but do you get the point?)

So, we need to be very careful who we accept as a real friend, if the person brings you down, and takes you away from the ones that once lifted you. If that person takes you places that you once would not go it would hurt your testimony. If that person uses language that brings dishonor to God and makes you look cheap. So, if that person has more influence on you. Then you start emulating them instead of representing Christ. There should be warning horns going off big time in your heart and mind. You should step back and look and see if you are getting muddy or if they are getting “glovie.” My bet is the mud is winning, if you step back from real friends and start following this kind of people you are not doing them any good, and you are not doing you any good either.

Well, Jesus hung out with sinners and bad people. Yes, He did, and he showed them love and brought them around to His way, by the example that He led. Not by acting like them. I am not saying you cannot have bad people in your life as friends, I am saying do not let them lead you away from the witness that took you years to build up. Satan would have nothing better than to tear you down.

Remember “Make a friend, be a friend, and bring that friend to Jesus.” Not make a friend, be a friend, and let that friend take you away from Jesus.

So, here is the question, are you getting muddy, or are the ones you are hanging with getting “glovie?” If you are a Christian and you allow someone to take you down the wrong road, and you are allowing them to tear down the witness that God had in you then I say it is time to do as Joshua said in the book that carries his name:

Joshua 24:15 (NKJV) 15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

You must choose whether to follow God or follow the world! Sometimes the one that is leading you down the wrong road may be waiting for you to make a stand and say NO, I’m going to follow God. Just so they can see if this Christian stuff is real in your life and if, so then they may want to follow Christ themselves.

James 4:4 (NKJV) 4 … Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

As I have said in the past and am sure I will say again and again. When God is talking about neighbors and friends, I don’t think he is talking about what kind of friend you have but what kind of friend your friend has namely YOU.  Are you loving that friend enough to say to them, I will serve the LORD! Do you love them enough to let them leave, because Jesus did? He gives us a choice, to love them and live for Him and lead them out of hell. Or watch them go on their way while destroying your testimony and your witness.

I beg you to love them enough to bring them to Christ. “Make a friend, be a friend, and bring that friend to Jesus.” That is real love.  They are worth your love, but not at the expense of taking away the love you once had for God and his word.

Let them see the Love of the Lord in you and they may just want it too. It has been my experience that most people living a Godless life are looking for something or someone and I promise you that something is God himself and that someone is you showing them the Love of God.

I heard a preacher say once that he could tell the ones not as close to God as they once were. They were in the Church down front, then about halfway back in the Church, and then in the back, and then in the overflow, and then they were gone. It is always gradual. One small step at a time away from Christ and for every step you take away it is one more step closer to Satan and his way of life, which leads to destruction.

I once had a great quiet time and now my time is quiet. I once went to Church religiously (did you see what I did there?) now my religion is anything except Christ. I once went to Sunday School or Small Group and now I am in places that I know that God is heartbroken over. Does He stop loving you? NEVER!!! But there will come a time when someone who once watched how much you loved God and how you would not compromise your belief in Him. They are seeing something different, and they may say if that is Christianity, I want no part of it. Is your moment of enjoyment worthy of their soul?

As I stated at the beginning, I have several people that I know, but I only have a few people that I call Friends. If you are one of the few people that is a true friend I am as Spock said in the second Star Trek movie, “I have been and always shall be your friend.”

The classic 1993 Western Tombstone is full of memorable quotes from Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and the infamous Cowboys of Southern Arizona. After a major shootout at the river, our heroes are regathering themselves, and Doc Holliday (Val Kilmer) walks over to the side of the river leans over, and coughs, and Cactus Jack Johnson (Buck Taylor) Says, “Doc what are you doing out here, you should be in bed,” in which Doc’s reply was, “Wyatt Earp is my friend.” Then Cactus Jack said, “I got lots of friends,” here is where I can relate to Doc because he said, “I don’t.”

God calls everyone to be his friend. Are you in need of a friend let me tell you where to get a friend.

Proverbs 18:24 (NKJV) 24 A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Can we find a friend so faithful? Whom will all our sorrows share?

Jesus knows our every weakness; Are we weak and heavy-laden? Cumbered with a load of care? Precious Savior, still our refuge—Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer! In His arms, He’ll take and shield thee. Thou wilt find a solace there. Blessed Savior. Thou hast promised Thou wilt all our burdens bear; May we ever, Lord, be bringing All to Thee in earnest prayer.

Can we find a friend so faithful? Yes, His name is Jesus!!

I hope and pray that the ones who call me a friend and that I live up to their expectation. I hope that when my name is spoken people can say he is my friend.

I hope that I follow the example set before me in Christ Jesus.

I hope if you ever have called me a friend you still can.

But I know me, I know that I have let people down, and I know that I probably have said or done something that I shouldn’t have said or done. And hope and pray that my friends can forgive me and that I can forgive my friends who have let me down.

I was recently removed from a post and blocked from adding anything to the page on Facebook. The post was my home Church that I have been a part of since I was five years old, at the time of this writing I was sixty-one. So, I was not happy, it wasn’t anything bad I posted it was just an old picture of the Church and I said I miss that, Church. After I put a rebuttal on my personal Facebook page and about 50 people commented on my post, I received a message apologizing and said the block was removed and ended by saying “God bless my friend.” I do not know who misinformed the person writing me that we were friends, because we are not. I have never talked to the man who messaged me. We are not friends, not my definition of a friend. We think because we add the word friend that makes us friends. But in my book, it does not.

The example that is set before us is Jesus himself. He forgave us even before we let him down and keeps loving us anyway. Let us try to live that way and remember:

“Make a friend, be a friend, and bring that friend to Jesus.”

It’s not my Fault!

Or was it?

Being the youngest of five, I always had someone to blame for my wrongdoings. (Not that I did that many things wrong.) I have one brother who rarely did anything bad.

If something went wrong and the question was asked, “Who did this?” the answer was always my brother, knowing that he never did wrong and would be forgiven for the minor offense very quickly, rather than me messing up again.

Even after we were grown and my brother was in basic training for the United States Air Force in Texas, a question by my Mother went like this, “who left that cup on the counter,” or “who left that plate on the end table” or and one of my favorites, my Dad’s shoes in the floor and the question was “who do these shoes belong to?” and the answer was always “my brother.” No matter that the only people in the house all day were me and my Dad, the answer was “my brother.”

It’s good to have a person to blame things on, that way it’s not my fault if I am wrong. As I have mentioned, I was raised in a somewhat legalistic Church, the hair had to be long on a girl and short on a guy. Women had to wear dresses, and they had to be long, and all men had to wear suits; the clothes on their backs was more important than Jesus in their hearts.

I have taught Sunday School for almost 30 years, including at my home Church, small groups, home studies, hospice home care class. I have preached in nursing homes, Alzheimer’s wards, youth detention centers, and a number of Churches in west Georgia and east Alabama. In doing all this preaching and teaching, I would bring lessons at first the way I was taught.

If I said “you needed to dress in dresses and suits.” It’s not my fault; that’s what I was taught.

If I said, “You have to be in Church every time the door is opened.” It’s not my fault; that’s what I was taught.

If I said, “You have to use a certain kind of Bible.” It’s not my fault; that’s what I was taught.

If I said, “Your hair had to be a certain way.” It’s not my fault; that’s what I was taught.

If I said, “You have to sing certain songs a certain way.” It’s not my fault; that’s what I was taught.

If I said, “You have to pray a certain way.” It’s not my fault; that’s what I was taught.

If I said, “You have to give a certain amount if you have it or not.” It’s not my fault; that’s what I was taught.

Now, what is important is the reason I was taught all this, the way I was taught:

It’s not their fault; that’s what they were taught.

 

That reminds me of The Parable of the Ham

A child stood and watched her mother prepare the annual holiday ham. The mother carefully cut each end of the ham off before placing it in the pan. The child asked, “Mother, why do you always cut the ends off the ham?” The mother replied, “Well, that’s the way my mother always did it.”

So, the child called her grandmother and asked, “Grandma, why do you always cut the ends off the ham?” The grandmother replied, “Because that’s the way my mother always did it.”

Finally, the child called her great-grandmother and asked, “Great-Grandma, why did you always cut the ends off the ham?”

The great-grandmother replied, “Because the ham was way too big to fit in my small baking pan!!”

 

So, the cycle has to stop. I have to stop blaming my brother and even stop blaming the way I was raised. You see time and time again with young people who are committing crimes, the reason was “it’s how I was raised”.

Now, after you get a certain age, it’s all on you. You make the call, and do wrong, you are the one responsible.

As Dr. Michael L. Brown posted on Twitter:

“Regardless of my genetics, my upbringing, and my life experiences, I alone am ultimately responsible for my actions and choices.”

The same goes with my Teaching and Preaching, after a while I am the one responsible for leading people the wrong or misguided way.

Paul told Timothy his son in the faith in:

2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. KJV

The word study means:

NT:4704 spoudazo (spoo-dad’-zo); to use speed, i.e. to make effort, be prompt or earnest: KJV — do (give) diligence, be diligent (forward), endeavour, labour, study.

(Biblesoft’s New Exhaustive Strong’s Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, Biblesoft and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

2 Timothy 2:15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.  NKJV

2 Timothy 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. NIV

2 Timothy 2:15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. NASU

2 Timothy 2:15 Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth. NLT

I love the way the Amplified Bible reads it:

2 Timothy 2:15 Study and do your best to present yourself to God approved, a workman [tested by trial] who has no reason to be ashamed, accurately handling and skillfully teaching the word of truth.  Amplified Bible (AMP)

 

Now my job is to do my diligence, work hard, do my best, and Study the Word of God, rightly handling the word of truth, so I won’t be ashamed when I am presented to God. Dig into the scripture and find out what is being said and why its being said. Then and only then do I do my best to tell what is being said in the Holy Scripture.

I have read the Bible through a few times, and when I came across something I didn’t understand, I would jump over it and keep on reading.

But now I stop and dig, study, and do my best to see what God is telling me. I love looking at different translations and seeing what words are different and why. That is what gets me in the Bible even deeper.

After looking through the scripture, I can’t find anywhere that it says to wear a tie; it’s just not in there.

I never saw Jesus when on a sea shore or along a mountain, or in a garden, tell the smelly people to go get dressed before He would talk to them.

I never read one word, not one, saying before He healed them that they needed a haircut.

There are so many things we get so bent out of shape over that I believe God really doesn’t care about.

I was a Carpenter and Craftsman by trade, and my Dads home was just around the corner from my house. (I had to pass his to get to mine) A lot of days on my way home, still having the residue of the day on me, a little sawdust, maybe some stain on my hands, a little paint on my pants, and sweat running down my face.

I would drop by to check on my Dad. I would knock on the door as I opened it and walked on in, see it’s “MY FATHER’S HOUSE,” I have a key and I have the freedom to come in at any time. And I knew no matter how I looked or even smelled, I was always welcome there.

My Dad would usually be on the sofa, and he would get up and a big smile would be on his face, because his boy came by to spend some time with him. I may be wrong, but I think that’s the way God is, just happy to spend some time with me.

We get so caught up in the outside of a person, the way they look and dress, we miss out and never get to know the inside (the heart) of the person. Thank God He looks at the heart.

1 Sam 16:7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” NKJV

I have never not ever read in the red letters of Jesus to “turn your King James Bible” to a particular verse.

It’s not there!

So why, for the life of me, do we get so excited if someone is reading a different translation than we have, and how on earth does that make you more spiritual than someone else because you sing from a red hymnal instead of a large screen?

I have been a part of both worship services and felt His very presence in both.

I have sat and even preached in Church services that had a handful of people, and God moved in a mighty way. Then I have sat in Church services with 1500 to 2000 people and had the same God convict and move me to tears with His presence.

What difference does it make if you open a Bible Book, a phone app, a laptop, a Kindle reader, or a Nook Book with apps? (The Nook is what I use because I can carry five different Bibles a Strong’s Concordance, and a Matthew Henry Commentary and over two hundred sermons that I have already brought.)

A friend of mine, Tim Croft, said, “I bet someone got upset when they opened the first book Bible rather than unrolling a scroll.”

Any reason to try to look more spiritual than those who don’t do it your way?

We, the Church, keep on and on debating on which Bible is the best, which songs are the best, which type of music is the best, which way to dress is the best, and we need to stop.

Just because they are not doing it the way we are does not mean it’s wrong; it’s just different.

You never see Jesus heal the same way twice. He raised three different people from death, three different ways.

The little Girl, he said in Mark 5:41, He gently speaks, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.”

For the widow’s son, he stopped the funeral: Luke 7:14 Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.”

And His friend Lazarus he: John 11:43 He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!”  NKJV

One is in a bed, one is in a coffin, and the other is in the grave.

And Jesus handled them differently, but the message is the same: Jesus SPOKE! One a whisper, one talk, and then He yells for Lazarus. Why then can’t we all let Jesus speak differently today to different Churches? And yet be the same God.

 

Another example:

Jesus Heals Blind Bartimaeus in Mark

The blind man said to Him, “Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.”

52 Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.  NKJV

 

A Blind Man Healed at Bethsaida in Mark 8

25 Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.  NKJV

A Man Born Blind Receives Sight in John 9

6 When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. 7 And He said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing.  NKJV

 

Three different blind men, one He just speaks, two He used spit, one He adds touching him, and one He made a mud pack and told him to go wash.

All three were healed by Christ, but each case was a little different, and the reason is, we are all a little different.

I don’t know if you haven’t noticed, but the world is going to hell, and we are arguing about what translation of the Bible is the right one.

 

It’s the one Paul carried; HE WAS WRITING IT AT THE TIME.

Along with other inspired men of God, it wasn’t in 1611, it was in the first century.

All we have are TRANSLATIONS of the original Word of God.

 

I believe that God loves us all the same. I also believe that He treats us all differently because we are all different, so why do you think if everyone is not like us that they are wrong? Here is something to ponder: What if it is you… that is wrong?

So, after pondering on this for a while, I have come to realize it was my fault,

I should have checked… what I was taught.

He Drank the Cup

By Chuck E. Sprayberry

Scripture: Matthew 26:36-46 (NKJV) ³⁶ Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.” ³⁷ And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. ³⁸ Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.” ³⁹ He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” ⁴⁰ Then He came to the disciples and found them asleep, and said to Peter, “What? Could you not watch with Me one hour? ⁴¹ Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” ⁴² Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.” ⁴³ And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy. ⁴⁴ So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. ⁴⁵ Then He came to His disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. ⁴⁶ Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.”

In the Garden of Gethsemane, we get a very intimate glimpse into the private prayer life of Jesus. We know from the gospel accounts of Christ’s life that he often went off alone for times of prayer and meditation. The prayer in the garden is one of the few instances in which we are allowed to “listen in” on his communion with his father. The heart of this prayer was focused on the incredible suffering Christ was facing in the steps leading up to and during the crucifixion. The agony associated with the contemplation of his death was so great that his sweat became as great drops of blood and it was necessary for the angels to minister unto him in order that he might continue with the plan necessary for our salvation.

Christ knew in perfect detail exactly what he faced before and during the crucifixion. Although he was fully man, in the sense of his fleshly body, he was also fully God with perfect knowledge of all that was to take place in the coming hours. His prayer “O my father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt.” was the summation of his desires and the subjugation of those desires to the will of his father. As our redeemer and savior, he willingly took upon himself the responsibility of going to Calvary. However, in this prayer we see a view of the son asking the father if there was any other means by which the work could be completed.

Why did Christ use the metaphor of drinking a cup?

What did this cup contain that would make the Son of God himself wish he did not have to partake of it? In a word, SIN. The contents of this cup represented the concentrated essence of all mankind’s sins from the first sin in the Garden of Eden, to the last sin which will be committed at some point in the future. None were too insignificant or too heinous, all were included.

When Christ looked into that cup, he saw…

• The jealousy in Cain’s heart as he slew his brother Abel after God found Cain’s sacrifice to be unacceptable.
• A young girl as an adult she trusted molests her for the purposes of his own sexual gratification.
• A thief stealing the money a person worked hard to obtain in order to provide for their family.
• King David sign Uriah’s death sentence to cover up his adultery with Bath-sheba.
• The broken heart of a mother whose precious child has run away from home and living on the streets because of an addiction to illegal drugs.
• A father addicted to gambling losing the money he needs to feed his children.
• A young mother allowing the life of her unborn baby to be ended because she has accepted the views of a society that allows her to see her unexpected pregnancy as a mistake to be “corrected.”
• A con artist taking advantage of unsuspecting and innocent senior citizens to cheat them out of their life savings.
• A drug dealer selling illegal drugs to elementary school children in order to make a little money.
• A young boy huddling in the corner waiting for the pain as his drunken father pulls his belt off in preparation for the beating the boy had learned to expect when his father was drunk.
• The loneliness and depression of an elderly mother whose children neglect her and consider her to be burden and obstacle to the carefree lifestyle they wish to live.

All of this dark evil and much more was contained within this cup, and Christ knew after communing with his father, that it must be drained to the last drop if mankind was to be saved from our sins. He then rose from his prayers and with the simple statement “Rise, let us be going…” he turned and without hesitation walked to the altar on which “The Lamb of God” was to be slain for the sins of the world, and there he laid down his life for us.

From the moment of his arrest in the garden, through the illegal and biased trials he said not a word in his defense. Through the excruciating torture of the scourging and the abuse he suffered at the hands of guards, soldiers, and witnesses, not so much as a whispered cry passed his lips. Even when being nailed to the cross, with his shoulders pulled out of joint as the cross dropped into its socket we have no record of him so much as a groaning in pain.

However, at the moment the cup was placed to his lips on the cross, and God the Father allowed “…him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him,” a cry of indescribable agony burst forth from him as his father, from whom he had never known a moment of separation, had to turn his back on Christ. God in his righteousness cannot even look upon sin, and it was this separation from his father that he foresaw in the garden and he wanted so fervently to avoid.

God was gracious enough to shroud this time of agony within a veil of darkness that descended over the face of the earth. No man was allowed to look on his son as he took upon himself the entire punishment for our sins. Only once the last dregs had been drained from that awful cup did he declare “It is Finished.” I am so thankful he drank the cup.

November 3, 2012 · 10:37 pm

A Love of Life, or A Life of Love

Rev. Chuck E. Sprayberry

Scripture: Luke 12:13-21

Luke 12:13-25 (NKJV) ¹³ Then one from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” ¹⁴ But He said to him, “Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” ¹⁵ And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” ¹⁶ Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. ¹⁷ And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ ¹⁸ So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. ¹⁹ And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ‘ ²⁰ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ ²¹ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” ²² Then He said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. ²³ Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.
²⁴ Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? ²⁵ And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

We can make four observations from the parable of this rich man:

1. Man can never be satisfied with possessions – he will always seek after more or better riches in order to add to that which he already possesses.
2. Success often “dooms” men to needless worry and anxiety – the more a man has, the more he worries about keeping it and protecting it.
3. Success may result in an unreachable desire for peace and rest. – They hope one day to be at peace and rest as a result of the riches they have accumulated. However, you cannot buy peace and rest with worldly possessions.
4. Death, when it arrives, cuts the soul off from all worldly possessions immediately and irreversibly.

By all the criteria of his time and ours, this man would have been considered successful. However, he did not recognize there was a more pressing spiritual need in his life.

He loved life and the things of this world, which are at best temporary, more than anything else.

Jesus comments in Matthew on how difficult it will be for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven because of their love for this life and the comforts and possessions they can acquire in their lifetime.

We are specifically warned against allowing the love of the world to become the most important thing in our life.

1 John 2:15-17 – “Love not the world, neither the things [that are] in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (The love of the Father is not the driving principle of his life – Author’s note) For all that [is] in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof; but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.”

If the love of the world is the driving principle in your life, then the love of the Father cannot manifest itself in your life as fully as he would like.

What will having a life of love bring about in your life?

1. Sorrow over sin in our life
2. Compassion for lost souls
3. A desire to help those in need

Jesus commands us not to have a love of life, but a life of love.

Matthew 22:30-40 – “Love, the greatest commandment.”

Jesus then showed what it means to live a life of love.

John 19:17.18 – “they crucified him” – the greatest act of love.

Jesus showed us that he loved us more than life itself when he willingly went to the cross to pay the price for our sins. As God, he could have lived a life as comfortable as any king that ever walked the earth. However, he chose to live a hard and difficult life ending the most cruel death man has ever devised. He did this so we would have the opportunity to clearly see exactly how much he loves us.

If you honestly asked yourself today, “Do I have a love of life or a life of love?” what would your answer be?

October 21, 2012 · 1:36 am

Repairing The Beat-Up Old Boat

In the early 1970s, My Dad, an uncle, and I were fishing in a private lake. (We had permission to fish there.) The bream was biting well, so well that we had an excellent mess in no time. (Mess will be defined later for those who don’t know.)

My Mother’s favorite fish to eat is bream, and the reason we were there was to catch her some fish. (My Dad really liked them too.)

While we were there, we were all there wishing we had a boat, oh with a boat, how much more fun could we have, and how many more fish we could get to, but we didn’t have a boat, so we had to fish from the bank.

When my Dad thought we had enough for a couple of meals, he said “let’s load up” which meant it was time to go.

Then we were loading up the tackle to leave. The last thing we got is the basket of fish out of the water, a man came pulling up and started up a conversation, and then as I brought the basket of fish up:

He said, “How much you want for those fish?”  My Dads reply was “they are not for sale.”  The man said, “I will give you five dollars for them.”  My Dads reply was “they are not for sale.”  Then the man said, “How about ten?”  My uncle said, “Take it.”  My Dads reply was “they are not for sale.”  The man then said, “fifteen and that’s as high as I will go.”  Again, my uncle told my Dad, “Take it.”

And again, my Dads reply was “they are not for sale.”

The man got in his old beat up truck, backed up, and started to pull out ahead of us Then he hung his head out the window and yelled, “Twenty dollars and that’s as high as I will go”.

My Dad said, “SOLD for twenty dollars.”

The man said, “Follow me, I live just up the road, and I get the money, and you give me the fish.”

When we arrived at his home, my Dad saw an old beat-up boat beside the house, which had fallen out of a truck while going down the road.

My Dad said, “What do you want for that old, beat-up boat?”

The man said, “Twenty dollars… and another mess of them bream.”

My Dad stood there for a few minutes and pondered for a while, he never made rash, quick decisions. Then he said “SOLD” and gave the man his twenty back and said we would have him another mess of fish tomorrow, and we would pick up the boat.

The next day, we did just as my Dad said, we caught another good mess of fish and took them to the man and got the boat.

It’s a 14-foot-long boat, plenty deep enough to feel safe in most small lakes. 3 bench seats in the boat and 1 on the front end.

Everything we always wanted.

But the front was bent up, the rail around the front was gone, there was a hole in the back corner, and the handles on the back were gone.

What some people would see as useless and not much good for anything, my Dad saw a fishing boat and years of enjoyment. He and my brother Glenn, and I worked for days getting the boat sea worthy (really lake and pond worthy, I really wouldn’t put this boat in the sea).

My Dad carefully straightened the front down where it belonged, took an aluminum door frame and made new rails to replace the missing ones.

Took what He called refrigerator epoxy and patched the hole in the back, then put a few layers of fiberglass over the hole. He made two new handles out of copper pipe and put a new plywood backboard in for his trolling motor.

Then, with an old flat smoothing iron on one side and a body hammer on the other, He and Glenn reset all the rivets.

Painted the outside, and the old, beat-up boat was good to go.

That was some 50 years ago, and I gave the old boat to my nephew, Glenn’s son. Over the years, we have improved on the old boat. I put anchor tie downs on it, 2 swivels, and raised padded seats. A new trolling motor and a depth and fish finder.

I have no idea how many hundreds of times I loaded and unloaded that boat, and the number of fish that were caught out of that old, beat-up boat.

 

I often think of myself like that old beat-up boat. I felt as if I was beaten up by circumstances beyond my control, beaten up emotionally, and thrown away. I was here, but not good for much. I was getting lower and lower, to the point that didn’t even see why I needed to be alive.

But GOD, don’t you just love that? But God stepped in and saw something of some value, something that He could get some use out of, someone that He could SAVE. And He did just that.

God looked down and what I thought was someone who was beyond repair, God saw something of value. And as David said in Psalms 139, that I am “wonderfully made” and so are you!

Psalms 139:14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. NKJV

But I think our problem today is we live in a disposable word, we have paper plates and cups so when we are done eating, we just trash them, we have disposable gloves, disposable cameras, disposable diapers, disposable tissues instead of handkerchiefs, (I guess the tissues and diapers are a good thing to trash.) and even now we have disposable people.

I’m afraid we give up too quickly on people, just because they don’t seem to fit into our way of thinking.

This day and time, because you may not be a Republican, I can’t be your friend, or if you don’t go along with the Democrat’s I just won’t talk to you anymore. (I really lost a great friend just because of the way I voted in this last presidential election.)

It’s where people are disposable, and that’s a shame, I heard a preacher say just recently that you never looked anyone in the eyes that Jesus didn’t love.

The Bible says in First Peter:

1 Peter 2:24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness — by whose stripes you were healed. 25 For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. NKJV

That’s how much Jesus loves you.

A friend of mine, Tim Croft, said his Dad came by his office, and he saw a man at the end of a hall and called him over, and I love what he said to this stranger.

He said, “Sir, did you know that if God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it, that’s how much He loves you.”

Galatians 5:13 For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” NKJV

But we just throw the beat-up people away because we see no worth.

It’s been said that it seems that only the Church shoots its wounded.

Which brings me to a song that was released in January of 1983.

“Don’t Shoot the Wounded,” by Chuck Girard:

Don’t shoot the wounded, they need us more than ever

They need our love, no matter what it is they’ve done

Sometimes we just condemn them and don’t take time to hear their story

Don’t shoot the wounded, someday you might be one

It’s easy to love the people who are standing hard and fast

Pressing on to meet that higher calling

But the ones who might be struggling, we tend to judge too harshly

And refuse to try and catch them when they’re falling

We put people into boxes, and we draw our hard conclusions

And when they do the things, we know they should not do

We sometimes write them off as hopeless

And we throw them to the dogs

Our compassion and forgiveness sometimes seem in short supply

So, I say…

Don’t shoot the wounded, they need us more than ever

They need our love, no matter what it is they’ve done

Sometimes we just condemn them and don’t take time to hear their story

Don’t shoot the wounded, someday you might be one.

The Bible says in The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Galatians

Galatians 6:1 Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. 5 For each one shall bear his own load.  NKJV

Bear one another’s burdens, did you get that?

Back to the song:

We can love them and forgive them

When their sin does not exceed our own

For we to have been down bumpy roads before

But when they commit offenses outside the boundaries, we have set

We judge them in a word, and we turn them out,

And we close the door

Myself, I’ve been forgiven for so many awful things

I’ve been cleansed and washed and bathed so many times

That when I see a brother who has fallen from the way

I just can’t find the license to convict him of his crimes

So, I say…

Don’t shoot the wounded, they need us more than ever

They need our love no matter what it is they’ve done

Sometimes we just condemn them

And don’t take time to hear their story

Don’t shoot the wounded, someday you might be one.

 

The Bible says that the strong in the faith need to help those who are weak:

Romans 15:1 We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification. 3 For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.”  NKJV

Romans 14:1 Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. NKJV

I think the Bible is pretty clear that we need to help fix those beat-up people.

Back to the song:

That doesn’t mean we turn our heads when we see a brother sin

And pretend that what he’s doing is all right

But we must help him see his error, we must lead him to repent

Cry with those who cry, but bring their deeds into the light

For it’s the sick that need the doctor,

And it’s the lame that need the crutch

It’s the prodigal who needs the loving hand

For a man who’s in despair, there should be Kindness from his friends

Lest he should forsake the fear of almighty God

And turn away from God and man

 

We sometimes think that the church is only for the righteous and the sin-free, and that is where we miss the mark. The church doors need to be opened to all who need God, and that includes EVERYONE!!!

The Bible is clear in:

1 Thessalonians 5:14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. 15 See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all. NKJV

James 5:19 Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, 20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins. NKJV

Back to the song:

So, I say… Don’t shoot the wounded, they need us more than ever

They need our love, no matter what it is they’ve done

Sometimes we just condemn them

And don’t take time to hear their story

Don’t shoot the wounded, someday you might be one.

 

The Prophet Isaiah said:

Isaiah 58:6 “Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke? 7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh? 8 Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. 9 Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ NKJV

So, when you see a beat-up person, one beat down by wrong decisions, bad relationships, and doesn’t look like the normal people in your church, the one you would probably wouldn’t give a second glance, just know that very person has the same Jesus that died for them as for you.

Romans 5:6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. NKJV

As my Dad saw worth in an old beat-up boat, God sees worth, value, substance, merit, and meaning in you, because;

 

“You are fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works,”

God said so, not me.

“And that my soul knows very well.”

So,

Don’t shoot the wounded, they need us more than ever

They need our love, no matter what it is they’ve done

Sometimes we just condemn them

And don’t take time to hear their story

Don’t shoot the wounded, someday you might be one.

Let us repair the “Beat up Old Boats” in our lives, because God has plans for them!

Expiration Date

As I have stated, My Dad used to say occasionally, “Sometimes I sit and think, and sometimes I just sit.”

Well, today was one of the days that I sat and thought.

Therefore, I was thinking about my Mother pouring out some milk and a statement I saw on Facebook that said, “We don’t have an expiration date.”

Well, I beg to differ.

We do have an “expiration date,” the Bible says in:

Ecclesiastes 3:2 A time to be born, And a time to die; NKJV

We all will face death sometime or another.

Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, NKJV

With that said, we all have an expiration date stamped on us. For most, we do not know when that day will be.

I truly believe we can accelerate that date, and in the same thought, I believe we can also extend that date.

Ecclesiastes 7:17 Do not be overly wicked, Nor be foolish: Why should you die before your time?  NKJV

The milk may have been poured out before its time; even when it was still good and it could still have some use after the appointed date stamped on the carton.

I think a lot our own lives are that way, we can take our own life before its time, or even taking years off our life with things like smoking, drinking, and as much as I hate to admit it over eating, I think we can do a lot of things to take years off our life.

I was playing a game of chess years ago on a computer. After a few minutes of play the game told me I had 12 moves left and I would be in check.

No way I thought, then after the next move it said I had less than 5 moves. Apparently, I made the wrong move. The computer knew every possible move I could make and had already worked out how the game would end.

I think life is that way; we make the wrong move, and it costs time in our lives.

I also believe that God knows every possible move we can make and has an end planned for each move we make, which gives us free will. However, God is always in charge and always knows the end.

Back to the game, I made 2 more moves and was in check and then mate. Needless to say, I do not play that game anymore.

But the game of life goes on, and what we do with it is up to us.

Ecclesiastes 2:16 For there is no more remembrance of the wise than of the fool forever, Since all that now is will be forgotten in the days to come. And how does a wise man die? As the fool!  NKJV

Solomon was the wisest man outside Jesus Himself to ever walk the earth, and he still had the same thoughts, discouragements, and worries as we do.

What is it all about?

We can work our whole life, and what we gather and accomplish is gone when we are. I don’t have to be like that, I believe that it was Andy Stanley who said, “You can’t take it with you when you go, but you can send it on ahead.”

Think for a moment of the lives you have touched, the souls that you were a part of sending on to Heaven eventually.

Through your giving to the Church for outreach and missions. By saying the right thing to the right person at the right time. By you personally, to lead someone to the Lord.

You may say you never did anything like that. Well, did you ever watch the nursery at a Church so the parents could sit in a service, or teach a Sunday School class or VBS class, and plant a verse in a young child’s mind?

Ever drop an extra dollar in the plate for missions or someone in need?

Ever send a card or a letter to encourage someone?

Have you ever dropped by the hospital to visit someone who is hurt?

Have you ever brought a meal to someone in need or picked up a check after a meal for someone that hurt?

 

Jesus said it this way:

Matthew 25:40 “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.”  NKJV

Ecclesiastes 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all.  14 For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil. NKJV

The saying “it ain’t over till it’s over” seems to apply. As long as you have breath, as long as you are on this side of the grass, you have a mission, and that mission is to live for Christ.

Philippians 1:21a “For to me to live is Christ…”

For me to be alive, Christ is alive, and the reason the first-century Christians got so extremely happy with a new convert. There was another person to live for Christ. Christ had another mouth to speak on His behalf, two more hands to carry His gospel, two more feet to go and help those in need.

 

My mentor Reverend Ben Turner once said, “If you are going to hammer at least build something.”  So, since you are still around, do something profitable for the cause of Christ.

With that said, we all have an expiration date stamped on us.

Don’t you want to accomplish something for Jesus before we meet Him face to face?

 

I was having lunch at Wallace Bar-B-Q one day, and some waitress’, knowing that I am a minister, had a question about suicide. After hearing their questions and hearing their concerns about the subject, I related the following story to them:

In 1991, the office job I had, overseeing eight concrete construction crews, was taken away from me, and I went from telling these foremen what to do to working for one of them and asking how to do it. My pay was cut, according to my accountant over $30,000.00 that year. I tried to keep living like I was, except on credit cards, but I soon found out that the Visa, Master Card, and American Express companies want their money back after a while. (as if I did not know) I was behind on every payment, and that’s not what I do at all. I made sure the house payment was made. I may sit in a dark and cold house, but at least I have a roof over my head.

My wife decided she didn’t want to be with me three years earlier, and so for three long years, I would pray and beg God to send her home, believing that would happen and happen real soon.

But it didn’t happen, and the day came that a Deputy came knocking on my door and served me divorce papers, and I am now at what I was looking at as the end of all I could take, and that morning around 2:30 to 3:00 am I heard Satan say “you don’t have to hurt like this, there is a way out, the 357 magnum is right there.”

I find it amazing when Satan talks to you it is not in an echo chamber voice, or a dark deep evil voice, but it was in a soft southern draw, and sounded, well it sounded a lot like me, cause that’s how he does it, through my mind and in my voice.

I said God “I can’t take anymore, (and I couldn’t but I learned that night God can if I give it to Him.) so the rest of my talk with God went something like this, “I am about to see you face to face and if you don’t want me to do, what I am about to do you better stop me now” and (another conjunction, there is still more to the story.)

At that very moment, as I watched the chamber turn and the shell line up as the hammer went back on that old Colt.

The phone rang. I thought, who could that be at this time of the night? God maybe? So, I set the weapon down and picked up the phone. Before I could say hello, a preacher friend, Eddie Rogers, said, “God told me to call you and tell you to STOP! Do you hear me?” I answered, “Yes, I hear you.”  Ed then said, “Can I go back to bed now?” I said, “Sure, and thanks.” He said goodnight and hung up. I cleared the weapon and went to bed, myself believing God was not near done with me.

A few weeks later, as we were meeting for a prayer time for Eddie’s Ministry Sweet Spirit Band, I asked him if he remembered calling me that night, and he said he did, then I ask, did he not want to know what was going on that night?

He said he thought I would share the reason with him when I was ready, so I told him the story, and waited for “Are you okay, brother?” or “I am so sorry you are going through this.” Or even “just hang in there, brother, everything is going to be alright.”

Instead, I got “you idiot, (it’s good to have a few friends like that, just a few.) Is that how you really want to face God Almighty with a smoking gun in your hand?” I said, “No, not really, and I promise it will never happen again.”

My Expiration Date could have been that day, my choice, I believe, if I had pulled that trigger that moment, it all would have ended right then.

A few weeks later after sharing that story that day at Wallace’s, I had a lady come up to our table and say, “I was here a couple a week ago, and I was setting right behind you when you told how you almost ended your life, and that you didn’t want to face God with a smoking gun in your hand. I was here to eat my final meal. I have chronic pain, and I was just going to eat and go home and take every pain pill I had and just end it all. But I thought, did I really want to face God with a stomach full of pills? And after seeing how God is still using you, I went home and had a great talk with my Heavenly Father, and I just wanted to thank you for sharing what you went through, because it saved my life too.”

You never know who you are reaching, or how God is going to use you, or even when God will use you. It may be in a Bar-B-Q house in Austell, Georgia. Or in a pulpit in a church, just know when God is ready for you, let Him do the calling, because you don’t want to pour out that milk before its time. You do not want to face God for the first time with a smoking gun, a stomach full of pills, a bloody wrist, or any other than His reaching down and saying it’s time to come home.

Remember, as we read earlier.

A time to be born,

And a time to die.

Don’t punch your Expiration date before God’s time.

 

The Last Words

Excerpt from “Something to Ponder”

… Now that brings me to “The Last Saying of Jesus on the Cross.” The seven sayings of Christ, as they are called.

Please if you will just let me have the freedom to put what I see as what our Savior was saying from the cross in my words, I am not trying to put word in His mouth or to take away from the scripture in any way, I just want you to Ponder, please and just look through my eyes for a moment.

One:

Luke 23:33 And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. 34 Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” NKJV

Forgive who? The ones that put Him on the cross? The criminals on either side of Him?

Luke 23:32 There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death.  NKJV

I believe that he was talking about all of us, I think he was saying  “Abba, Daddy please forgive them for all their sins for this is the reason You sent Me for “not to condemn the world, but that the world through Me might be saved” for I am now taking their place.”

And at that moment all sin was paid for ALL everyone, from Adam to the last person to ever be born on this earth of ours, ALL. We Just have to accept that Forgiveness.

Two:

Luke 23:39 Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.”

40 But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”

43 And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”  NKJV

I now see Jesus looking at the lowest of low, they didn’t like to just crucify anyone, he had to be beyond forgiveness from man, because they would at that time just make slaves out of them, but this one man, this sorry good for nothing sinner in his last hours ask for, and accepted the forgiveness of Jesus, and as a result, I believe we all should hear the same words of Jesus say at the moment of our conversion, “No need to worry I assure you that one day you will be with me in Heaven”.

It doesn’t matter how bad we think we are Christ will and has forgiven you.

Three:

John 19:26 When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!”  27 Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.  NKJV

I now see Jesus looking down at his Mother and his young disciple John standing, and I am sure they were crying and in pain for what they are witnessing. And I am sure Mary did as we all do at those moments that we are losing someone to death, we remember times in the past. We see in Luke:

Luke 1:26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”

We see the angel say “highly favored one”, and “blessed are you among women!”

This is “highly favored and blessed”? Having to now see her son face Calvary’s Cross. And the story goes on:

29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”  NKJV

Luke 1:35 And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. NKJV

She knew that this child of hers is of God, and she knew that this was in some way Him doing His “Father’s business”.

As we see also in Luke:

Luke 2:41His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. 42 And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. 43 When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know it; 44 but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day’s journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances. 45 So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. 46 Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. 48 So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.”

49 And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”  50 But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them.

51Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. NKJV

Did you see that “His mother kept all these things in her heart”? She kept all this, that Jesus was the son of God, and He was about His Fathers business.

And then His disciple John, over and over said that he was the one that Jesus loved:

John 13:23 Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved…NKJV

John 20:2 Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved…NKJV

John 21:7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” NKJV

John 21:20 Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following…NKJV

Remember he was one of “His favorites”. And if you will allow me to tell you what I hear in the verses of Jesus saying it is:

“Mother, look at John, (this student of mine that I know loves me, and that I love,) he will be taking care of you from now on”.

“John, look after Mother for me, (I know you love me, so take care of Mother)”. And then the Bible says “And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home”.

John took care of Her as if She was his own Mother.

Four:

Mark 15:33Now when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”  NKJV

Every Easter I hear preachers preach and say how God turned His back on Jesus while on the cross because He is Holy and can’t look upon all that sin that He had to bear. I’m sorry but I can’t even a little except that. Yes, God is Holy, look with me back at the sinners in the Old Testament that God Himself promised He would never leave or Forsake.

Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.” NKJV

Joshua 1:5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. NKJV

1 Samuel 12:22 For the LORD will not forsake His people, for His great name’s sake, because it has pleased the LORD to make you His people. NKJV

1 Chronicles 28:20 And David said to his son Solomon, “Be strong and of good courage, and do it; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the LORD God — my God — will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you, until you have finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD. NKJV

Psalms 37:25 I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread. 26 He is ever merciful, and lends; And his descendants are blessed. NKJV

Psalms 37:28 For the LORD loves justice, And does not forsake His saints; They are preserved forever, But the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off. NKJV

Isaiah 41:10 Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ NKJV

Isaiah 41:17 “The poor and needy seek water, but there is none, Their tongues fail for thirst. I, the LORD, will hear them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. NKJV

And then the New Testament in Hebrews:

Hebrews 13:5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”  6 So we may boldly say: “The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” NKJV

Are you seeing this, that God looked at all these sinners and all the sin ever since Eve took that first bite of that fruit, until the last sin that will ever be committed? So, what makes people think that God will turn his back on His “Only Begotten Son”? Because of sin, again I just don’t buy it. The first thing Jesus said on the cross was “Father, forgive them” “Father” He is there with him, and the last thing He said was “Father, into Your hands” Again, “Father” are you understanding this, at what point did God leave, and at what point did God return? I believe that this was in reference to Psalms 22, at this time if you wanted someone to look at a Psalm, they would say the first few words of that Psalm. Like “Make a joyful noise” you would look up Psalms 100 so look with me if you will and notice the parts I underline:

The Suffering, Praise, and Posterity of the Messiah

To the Chief Musician. Set to “The Deer of the Dawn.” A Psalm of David.

Psalms 22:1 My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning? 2 O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear; And in the night season, and am not silent.

3 But You are holy, Enthroned in the praises of Israel. 4 Our fathers trusted in You; They trusted, and You delivered them. 5 They cried to You, and were delivered; They trusted in You, and were not ashamed.

6 But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised by the people. 7 All those who see Me ridicule Me; They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, 8 “He trusted in the LORD, let Him rescue Him; Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!”

9 But You are He who took Me out of the womb; You made Me trust while on My mother’s breasts. 10 I was cast upon You from birth. From My mother’s womb You have been My God. 11 Be not far from Me, For trouble is near; For there is none to help.

12 Many bulls have surrounded Me; Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me. 13 They gape at Me with their mouths, Like a raging and roaring lion.

14 I am poured out like water, And all My bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It has melted within Me. 15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd, And My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death.

16 For dogs have surrounded Me; The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; 17 I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. 18 They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.

19 But You, O LORD, do not be far from Me; O My Strength, hasten to help Me!

20 Deliver Me from the sword, My precious life from the power of the dog.

21 Save Me from the lion’s mouth And from the horns of the wild oxen!  You have answered Me.

And now we see the Praise for delivering and rescuing Him did you catch that last part of verse 21 “You have answered Me” and the chapter goes on.

22 I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will praise You. 23 You who fear the LORD, praise Him! All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, And fear Him, all you offspring of Israel! 24 For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; Nor has He hidden His face from Him; But when He cried to Him, He heard.

25 My praise shall be of You in the great assembly; I will pay My vows before those who fear Him. 26 The poor shall eat and be satisfied; Those who seek Him will praise the LORD. Let your heart live forever!

27 All the ends of the world Shall remember and turn to the LORD, And all the families of the nations Shall worship before You.  28 For the kingdom is the LORD’s, And He rules over the nations.

29 All the prosperous of the earth Shall eat and worship; All those who go down to the dust Shall bow before Him, Even he who cannot keep himself alive.

30 A posterity shall serve Him. It will be recounted of the Lord to the next generation, 31 They will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born, That He has done this. NKJV

Do you see all the references here to the crucifixion?  I believe that our Savior was just saying look up Psalms 22, a Psalm that was written a thousand years ago when David prophesied what I am going through right now.

Five:

John 19:28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!”  29 Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth.

We look back at the first time Jesus ask for something to drink,

John 4:7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” …NKJV and then:

John 4:10 …you would have asked Him, (talking about Himself) and He would have given you living water.”  NKJV and He has Living Water:

John 4:14 …but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” NKJV

All through the crucifixion we see the humanity of Jesus. At any time, He could have claimed His Deity of the very Son of God. I remember a song that was sang a lot when I was growing up:

“He Could Have Called Ten Thousand Angels” by Ray Overholt:

They bound the hands of Jesus in the garden where he prayed

They led him thru the streets in shame

They spat upon the savior so pure and free from sin

They said, “crucify him: he’s to blame

He could have called ten thousand angels

To destroy the world and set him free

He could have called ten thousand angels

But he died alone, for you and me

Upon his precious head they placed a crown of thorns

They laughed and said, “Behold the king”

They struck him, and they cursed him and mocked his holy name

All alone he suffered everything

When they nailed him to the cross, his mother stood nearby,

He said, “Woman, behold thy son!”

He cried, “I thirst for water,” but they gave him none to drink

Then the sinful work of man was done.

He was all Human and all God. So, then He had to come as a human because you can’t kill God. I love a quote I heard from Major Ian Thomas and it goes something like this “Jesus being God never ever acted more than being a man, and man being man never ever acts less than being God”. So yes, as the song says “He could have called ten thousand angels, to destroy the world and set him free He could have called ten thousand angels”, and I truly don’t want you to miss this “But he died alone, for you and me”.

Six:

John 19:30 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.  NKJV

Back to “He Could Have Called Ten Thousand Angels” last verse:

To the howling mob he yielded: he did not for mercy cry

The cross of shame he took alone

And when he cried, “It’s finished,” he gave himself to die

Salvation’s wondrous plan was done.

Yes, “Salvation’s wondrous plan was done”. Jesus had completed all the prophecies in the Old Testament, hundreds of years before His birth.

The Prophecy: Isaiah 53:3 says, “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”

The Fulfillment: John 1:10-11 says, “He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.”

The Prophecy: Psalm 41:9 says, “Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.”

The Fulfillment: Mark 14:10 says, “Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them.”

The Prophecy: Zechariah 11:12 says, “I told them, ‘If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it.’ So they paid me thirty pieces of silver.”

The Fulfillment: Matthew 26:14-16 says, “Then one of the Twelve – the one called Judas Iscariot – went to the chief priests and asked, ‘What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?’ So, they counted out for him thirty silver coins.”

The Prophecy: Isaiah 53:7 says, “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.”

The Fulfillment: Mark 15:5 says, “But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed.”

The Prophecy: Psalm 22:1-2 says, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent.”

The Fulfillment: Matthew 27:46 says, “About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?’ – which means, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'”

The Prophecy: Psalm 22:7-8 says, “All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads: ‘He trusts in the LORD; let the LORD rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.'”

The Fulfillment: Matthew 27:41-44 says, “In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. ‘He saved others,’ they said, ‘but he can’t save himself! He’s the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, I am the Son of God.’ In the same way the robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.”

The Prophecy: Psalm 22:15 says, “My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death.”

The Fulfillment: Matthew 27:48 says, “Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink.”

The Prophecy: Psalm 22:17-18 says, “I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me. They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.”

The Fulfillment: John 19:23 says, “When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.”

When He said, “It is finished!” It was like an artist signing his portrait, it was finished and accomplished, but it was and is far from over.

Seven

Luke 23:44 Now it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. 45 Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two. 46 And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.'” Having said this, He breathed His last. NKJV

I got this from an email Rethinking Jesus’ Words from The Hebrew Original

By Dr. Eli Lizorkin-Eyzenberg – February 1, 2018

“It makes perfect sense that Jesus would quote this particular psalm while hanging on a Roman cross.

We read these fitting words in Psalm 31:1-5

In you, Lord, I have taken refuge;

let me never be put to shame;

deliver me in your righteousness.

Turn your ear to me,

come quickly to my rescue;

Be my rock of refuge,

a strong fortress to save me.

Since you are my rock and my fortress,

for the sake of your name lead and guide me.

Keep me free from the trap that is set for me,

for you are my refuge.

Into your hands I commit my spirit; (בְּיָדְךָ, אַפְקִיד רוּחִי)

deliver me, Lord, my faithful God.

The Hebrew word translated, “I commit,” is “אַפְקִיד” (pronounced afkid). This word has a meaning that is much closer to “I deposit” – which necessarily signifies a future “reclaiming” of the thing deposited. A vivid image might be that of checking in a coat at theater or restaurant, or even money into the bank, with the definite intention of getting it back. While the English word “commit” can also be used to describe giving something with the purpose of claiming it back at some point in the future, it might just as well mean the giving of something without stating any clear intentions for the future. In Hebrew, on the other hand, the unequivocal meaning of this verse is the temporary submission of one’s spirit into the hands of God – giving it into “His custody,” with the definite intention of receiving it back.

This shows that if we take the time to compare the original verse Jesus was reciting from Hebrew, a simple, but significant insight into the words of Jesus on the cross will emerge. The words Jesus uttered were nothing less than a declaration of his great Israelite faith.  He was confident that as he deposited his soul into the hands of his Heavenly Father, he will surely get it back at his resurrection. What happened three days later proved that Jesus did not hope in vain”.

I think maybe, just maybe, God had His mighty hands out the whole time, and then Jesus said, “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.'” And then, just maybe, God said something like this “I’m right here. I haven’t gone anywhere. I’m not going to leave you. I love you,” and into The Fathers hands, he accepted His Spirit and then

“Having said this, He breathed His last.”

But thank God it wasn’t over;

Luke 24:2 But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. 3 Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. 5 Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them,

“Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but is risen!

Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, 7 saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.'” NKJV

 

Legacy

Recently, my Mother and I were talking about how many children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and even great-great-grandkids she had. She has five kids, twelve grandkids, twenty-eight great-grandkids, and three great-great-grandkids, totaling 48 as of the day of this writing. This is her legacy, among other things.

Do you see the progression? Five kids, and with those kids, she has 12 grandkids, and with them, she has 28 great-grandkids and three great-great-grandkids so far. The legacy gets larger with each generation.

A former pastor we had when I was a young teenager was named Brother Frank Holcomb, and he once said, “If everyone won one and that one, won one and then that one, won one, before long there wouldn’t be one left to win”.

Now, that takes me back to October 19, 2017. As we sat at Tranquility Hospice Care, in Austell, Georgia with My Dad Elvin Swann, I noticed quite a few people were there to see my Dad. He was just hours away from his homecoming to be with our Heavenly Father.

I don’t know how many people came that day, with family and friends. I know there was a little crowd in his room. I was told that the waiting room across the hall had a few people, and the break room was full of folks that came by to say their goodbyes.

As I surveyed the crowd, I had a thought: how many of these people came to accept Christ as a result of the man lying there in that room? My Dad accepted Jesus as his Savior in October 1966. As a result of his conversion, we had a number of family members come to know Jesus as their Lord shortly thereafter. He may not have been personally responsible for leading them to the Lord, but as a result of his life, they had accepted Christ.

So, I started looking around, and the best that I could tell there were only three people that came through that day that he didn’t have something to do with them coming to Church and eventually accepting Jesus as their Savior. I am not saying that they wouldn’t have been Saved if he hadn’t made a change in his life, but we may never know for sure.

That brings me now to my Mother, She taught Sunday School for years, and she taught summer Bible School year after year. She taught a youth small group that wasn’t called that then but that what it was. She had at times in my Aunt Irene Evans home 20 to 30 kids there. They were there to hear Bible stories and to have some snacks, and a prize for 1 child each week in that group attended weekly during that summer. I know of 4 of those young men who went on to become Pastors and Preachers. She worked at a Christian Children’s Home for a little over 28 years, and while there, the kids would use her as a place to bring their disagreements that they couldn’t share with anyone else. She would listen to them, and sometimes, all that they needed was someone to listen. And then give Godly advice that could be used and not in any way disagree with their Houseparent.

Out of the kids she taught over the years and the ones that my Dad got are responsible for coming to Church I honestly believe that there are hundreds if not thousands that will be in heaven as a result of my Godly Parents.

I got this off the internet in where a preacher said:

“One of my favorites ‘minor characters” in American history is a man named Edward Kimball. There aren’t many people who could tell you the historical significance of Edward Kimball. After all, he is so un-famous that he doesn’t even have his own Wikipedia page. But through his simple service to God, he has had a worldwide impact.

In 1854, Kimball was a Sunday School teacher in Detroit, and one day he went to visit a 17-year-old boy who was in his Sunday School class who had little interest in God or religion. During his visit with this young man at his job in a shoe shop, he led the boy into a relationship with Christ. That young man was D.L. Moody, who went on to become one of the greatest evangelists in the world, sharing the gospel with 100 million people, as well as founding Moody Bible Institute and The Moody Church in Chicago.

But the story doesn’t end there. Through his ministry, Moody was responsible for a London pastor named F.B. Meyer coming to faith. Meyer was responsible for J. Wilbur Chapman coming to faith, and Chapman influenced Billy Sunday, another prominent evangelist of the 20th century. Billy Sunday was integral in a man named Mordecai Ham coming to faith. And Mordecai Ham was the preacher responsible for leading a young man named Billy Graham to Christ.

And that, my friends, is a spiritual legacy.

Some years ago, while talking with a preacher, I stated that I have no legacy, I have no children and as a result no legacy, the preacher asked how many people have come to know the Lord Jesus because of my preaching? I said quite a few, I think. he then went on to say How many people have you seen in the ministries that you worked with come to know Christ? I said hundreds. He then went on to say How many times have you prayed for pastors and preachers and seen souls saved? Again, I said plenty, I’m sure. How many times have you worked at an altar and talked with people out and about and seen them come to Christ? I again said I am not sure, dozens I suppose. Out of all those that you helped come to the saving knowledge of The Lord Jesus Christ and the ones that they led to Him, and then those that they led to Him, they are your Legacy.

That takes me back to my Parents. just thinking about the ones that came to Church because of my Dad, He did a weekly visitation, even at times all alone, but he went. And then the ones that my Dad and Mother ministered to over the years at the preachers and the teachers that are out there now as a result in them just being faithful to the call to go. I see a GREAT and MIGHTY LEGACY.

Now, I leave you with this: What kind of legacy do you have, and are you leaving?

It is your fault, so be careful what you are taught. Know that God is still working on you and is carrying you on His strong shoulders, and let Him. Because you can do all things through Christ if you let Him fill you with His Holy Spirit. Don’t cover your light; let it shine. when you are caught in the rough, keep swinging till you get out and never give up. When fishing for souls, make sure to use the right bait.  And know we all need some help sometimes. And never forget that You Are His Favorite!

Please leave a great Godly Legacy.

Taken from the book “Something to Ponder.” last chapter. Can be ordered from this website.

Don’t You Care? Part 4

And then the question, “What manner of man is this?”

Rev. Ben Turner, my mentor and Pastor, said in his message “What Manner of Man Is This”??

Everybody sees Him differently

3 Hebrew boys would see Jesus as the 4th man in the fire

Ezekiel saw Him as the wheel inside a wheel

Noah saw Him as an arc of safety

Solomon saw Him as the rose of Sharon

Jacob saw Him as a golden ladder top in haven and the base on the earth.

Israel saw Him as a star out of Jacob

David saw Him as the great Shepard

Daniel saw Him as a Stone cut out of a Mountain

Abraham saw Him as the great and mighty builder

Ruth saw Him the provider of hands full on purpose

Moses saw Him as the smitten rock

Church saw Him as the foundation of the rock on which it was built

Sad sees Him as the comforter

Leper sees Him as the healer (great Physician)

Lost sees Him as the way

Hungry sees Him as the bread

Thirsty sees Him as the water

Pilgrim sees Him as the faithful guide

Accused sees Him as the faithful witness

Disciple sees Him as the teacher

Weary sees Him as the rest

Pilot or boat captain sees Him as a compass

Weak sees Him as the strength

Sheep sees Him as the Shepard

Astronomer sees Him as the bright and morning star

Bride sees Him as the fairest among 10,000

Gentiles sees Him as a light to lighten the way

Merchant man see him as the purchaser

Ship of Zion see him as the captain

Preacher sees Him as the energizer

Tired sees Him as the strength

Troubled sees Him as builder of mansion

Captive sees Him as the deliver

Unhappy see Him as joy without end

Dead see Him as the resurrection and the life

The sinner I hope they would see him as the pleading savior caring for their soul.

Everybody sees him different!!!

How do you see Him?

John 1

The Eternal Word

(Gen 1:1-2:3)

1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. NKJV

 

What Jesus called Himself 7 I am’s of John

1 John 6:35-36 And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.

2 John 8:12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

3 John 10:7-10 Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.  8 All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.  9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.

4 John 10:14-16 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.  15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.

5 John 15:5-6 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

6 John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

7 John 11:25-26 Jesus talking to Mary on the way to Lazarus’ grave: 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.  26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

back to “Intense Moments with the Savior”

But learning to feel carries with it both a blessing and a curse: a blessing because those feelings are what lead us out of ourselves; a curse, because once out we can never again go back and enjoy the simple pleasures of a self-absorbed life.

(Field of dreams when the doc steps off the field he can’t go back)

Suffering sensitizes us not only to the world around us, which is needy, but to the world within us, which is needier still, and ultimately to the world beyond us, which we long for in so many ways. Yet in so few ways do we ever fully realize it. Until we suffer.

When He was on the Cross…

Matt 27:40 And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.

Matt 27:42 He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.

Matt 27:54 Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.

He will put you in whatever you need to go through to get you to a point to say “Truly this is the Son of God”

His Cross where God Himself would die.

Why did He come to earth the way He did? Cause He could not die in heaven, so He came here…

Intense Moments with the Savior

Then we realize that this is not our home, that our home is with him who suffered and died and left this earth to prepare a place for us. Once we understand that and who it is that keeps a candle burning for us in the window, then the road ahead, however long, however difficult, is infinitely easier to travel.

When the storm is past and it will pass there will be work to do.

Then we see in Mark 5:1 A Demon-Possessed Man Healed and in Mark 5:21 A Girl Restored to Life and a Woman Healed. All after going through the storm.

Now the question is do you care?

Pray