It's God's Word on the Line...Not Yours!

I recall raising my son a couple decades ago. When his legs had not strengthened enough to give him walking ability yet I would remove any obstacles from his path and place pillows and cushions all around to prevent any injury as he made his way through. Whenever he lost something as precious to him as a pacifier, dad (me) would miraculously find it and save the day! More importantly, I made a discipline to always come through and deliver on any promises I made to him. I knew this would instill in him a sense of responsibility later in life. This is exactly how our heavenly Father works with us. There is no path He won’t clear for us; no miracle that He would deny us; and more importantly He will always keep His promises. Nigerian gospel singer Sinach said it best when she wrote the lyrics for her song, Way Maker.

God will always help clear our path, especially when we face adversity. That job we seem not to land; that boss that keeps making our lives difficult. The financial burdens that sometimes overwhelm us; recurring relationship quarrels that seem to keep friendships and even marriages from thriving. These are all paths that our Heavenly Father is clearing for us. The scripture tells us that certain things (like some paths) are impossible “humanly speaking’” but “with God everything is possible.” (Matt. 19:26) So, no matter how difficult the path may seem or how impossible it feels to get through, we rely on the fact that God will make a way, or at least show us one. I just traveled to SouthEast Asia (I am actually writing this blog from Manila, Philippines), and I was a bit concerned with how it would go down when I arrived at the immigration department in the Manila airport. Concerned with the fact that I had never traveled out of the country and taking into account the current overly active security measures throughout the world, I prayed fervently that everything would go smoothly. Glory be to God; the process did not take longer than 10 minutes once I reported to the immigration officer. He asked for my documentation, scanned the proper documents, took my picture and I was on my way. It was that simple! My wife and I were both impressed at how easy the process was for me. Was it just luck? I don’t think so. It was my heavenly Father making the way. Whatever path you are facing that seems too difficult to get through, trust God. Pray and believe. He is the Way Maker.

I was involved in a car accident during the winter of 1997. The driver of the car I was in lost control of the vehicle and hit an incoming truck head on. We were transported in a helicopter to a nearby trauma center where I endured six days of intensive medical care. The doctors diagnosed a traumatic brain injury (TBI), and the chances of healing for me were very slim. Lucky for me, I had my parents and family around me constantly praying. I endured extensive medical treatment, including physical and cognitive therapy, but to the glory of God the doctors were able to discharge me. Shortly after, I was back to my normal self. Not only was I able to get back to a normal physical state, but I was able to finish college without any cognitive issues regardless of the injury my brain had suffered. The doctors called it a “miracle,” and so do I. But I expected nothing else from my heavenly Father. We face many hurdles in our lives that only miracles can overcome. A medical diagnosis; marriage failure; children off-course; financial lacking and instability, etc. In the natural, it seems impossible to overcome. But we serve a supernatural God. Psalm 77 tells that our God is the God “who performs miracles.” Nothing is impossible for Him. Our job is to pray; His is to perform the miracle. I once heard a preacher allude to the fact that we have to pray like it depends on God. And if it depends on Him, He will not let us down. We cannot try to manufacture the miracle on our own. We have to trust His power and pray that our will aligns with His in holy expectancy of the miracle we are hoping for. He is our Miracle Worker.

As a classroom teacher, it is normal to hear kids making promises to each other. It is a known fact that if you interlace your pinky fingers as you promise something and utter the words “pinky swear,” it is a promise that cannot be broken. Failing to keep a promise after you’ve “pinky swore” is frowned upon among children and even some adults! Our God does not need to use His sovereign pinky finger to assure us that He will keep promises. He chose to have His hands and feet nailed to a cross instead. The Bible is filled with promises our heavenly Father has made to us. These include: to strengthen us (Ephesians), take care of all our needs (Philippians), to answer our prayers (Matthew), to work out everything for our good (Romans), and that He will protect us (Psalms). What more can we ask for? If He has promised strength, total care, answered prayers and total protection; why would we fear anything or any situation? In the face of any obstacle or situation, I think these four promises alone cover it. There is no problem too hard, no need too great, no prayer He won’t answer, no predicament that won’t turn for our good, and no situation where we will be left at the will of harm. Whether it is a problem at work, at home or anywhere! A need in your professional, financial or personal life; a prayer you seem to have been praying for years, a situation that looks like it's working against you; or a feeling of loneliness whether personal or situational…remember His promises! He has promised to look out for us always! Our job is to believe. He will do the rest. When you pray, receive what you have asked for.

It is His word on the line, not yours…He is the Promise Keeper!

R Bermudez

Es la palabra de Dios en juego... ¡no la tuya!

Recuerdo criar a mi hijo hace un par de décadas. Cuando sus piernas aún no se habían fortalecido lo suficiente como para darle la capacidad de caminar, yo quitaba cualquier obstáculo de su camino y colocaba almohadas y cojines alrededor para evitar cualquier lesión mientras avanzaba. ¡Cada vez que perdía algo tan preciado para él como un chupete, papá (yo) lo encontraba milagrosamente y salvaba el día! Más importante aún, hice una disciplina para cumplir siempre con las promesas que le hacía. Sabía que esto le inculcaría un sentido de responsabilidad más adelante en la vida. Así es exactamente como nuestro Padre celestial trabaja con nosotros. No hay camino que Él no nos despeje; ningún milagro que Él nos negaría; y lo que es más importante, Él siempre cumplirá sus promesas. La cantante de música cristiana Sinach lo dijo mejor cuando escribió la letra de su canción, Hacedor de Caminos.

Dios siempre ayudará a despejar nuestro camino; especialmente cuando nos enfrentamos a la adversidad. Esa posición de trabajo que parecemos no aterrizar; Ese jefe que sigue haciéndonos la vida difícil. Las cargas financieras que a veces nos abruman; Peleas recurrentes en las relaciones que parecen impedir que prosperen las amistades e incluso los matrimonios. Todos estos son caminos difíciles que nuestro Padre Celestial nos está abriendo. La escritura nos dice que ciertas cosas (como algunos caminos) son imposibles “humanamente hablando” pero con Dios todo es posible. (Mat. 19:26) Así que no importa cuán difícil parezca el camino o cuán imposible se sienta atravesarlo, confiamos en el hecho de que Dios abrirá el camino, o al menos nos mostrará uno. Acabo de viajar al sudeste asiático (en realidad estoy escribiendo este blog desde Manila, Filipinas) y estaba un poco preocupado por cómo sería cuando llegara al departamento de inmigración en el aeropuerto de Manila. Preocupado por el hecho de que nunca había viajado fuera del país y teniendo en cuenta las actuales medidas de seguridad demasiado activas en todo el mundo, oré fervientemente para que todo saliera bien. Gloria a Dios; el proceso no tomó más de 10 minutos una vez que me presenté al oficial de inmigración. Me pidió mi documentación, escaneó los documentos correspondientes, me tomó una foto y me puso en camino. Fue así de simple! Mi esposa y yo quedamos impresionados de lo fácil que fue el proceso para mí. ¿Fue solo suerte? No me parece. Fue mi padre celestial abriendo el camino. Cualquiera que sea el camino al que te enfrentes que parece demasiado difícil de atravesar, confía en Dios. Ora y cree. Él es el hacedor de caminos.

Estuve involucrado en un accidente automovilístico durante el invierno de 1997. El conductor del automóvil en el que yo estaba perdió el control del vehículo y golpeó de frente a un camión que se aproximaba. Fuimos transportados en un helicóptero a un centro de trauma cercano donde soporté seis días de cuidado médico intensivo. Los médicos diagnosticaron una lesión cerebral traumática (TBI) y las posibilidades de curación para mí eran muy escasas. Por suerte para mí, tenía a mis padres y mi familia a mi alrededor orando constantemente. Soporté un extenso cuidado médico, incluso terapia física y cognitiva, pero para la gloria de Dios, los médicos pudieron darme de alta. Poco después volví a mi estado normal. No solo pude volver a un estado físico normal, sino que pude terminar la universidad sin ningún problema cognitivo, independientemente de la lesión que había sufrido mi cerebro. Los médicos lo llamaron un “milagro”, y yo también. Pero no esperaba nada más de mi Padre celestial. Enfrentamos muchos obstáculos en nuestras vidas que solo los milagros pueden superar. Un diagnóstico médico; matrimonio fallido; niños fuera de curso; escasez e inestabilidad financiera, etc... En lo natural, parece imposible de superar. Pero servimos a un Dios sobrenatural. El Salmo 77 dice que nuestro Dios es el Dios “que hace milagros”. Nada es imposible para él. Nuestro trabajo es orar; el de él es realizar milagros. Una vez escuché a un predicador aludir al hecho de que tenemos que orar como si dependiera de Dios. Y si de él depende, no nos defraudará. No podemos tratar de fabricar el milagro por nuestra cuenta. Tenemos que confiar en su poder y orar para que nuestra voluntad se alinee con la suya en santa expectativa del milagro que estamos esperando. Él es nuestro hacedor de milagros..

Como maestro de clase, es normal escuchar a los niños haciéndose promesas entre ellos. Es un hecho conocido que si entrelazas tus dedo meñique con alguien mientras prometes algo y pronuncias las palabras "juramento meñique, es una promesa que no se puede romper. ¡No cumplir una promesa después de haber "jurado con el dedo meñique" está mal visto entre los niños e incluso algunos adultos! Nuestro Dios no necesita usar su dedo meñique soberano para asegurarnos que cumplirá sus promesas. Él eligió tener sus manos y pies clavados a una cruz para mostrarnos. La Biblia está llena de promesas que nuestro Padre celestial nos ha hecho. Éstas incluyen; fortalecernos (Efesios), cuidar de todas nuestras necesidades (Filipenses), responder a nuestras oraciones (Mateo), obrar todo para nuestro bien (Romanos), y que él nos protegerá (Salmos). ¿Qué más podemos pedir? Si ha prometido fuerza, cuidado total, oraciones contestadas y protección total; ¿Por qué habríamos de temer algo o cualquier situación? Ante cualquier obstáculo o situación, creo que solo estas cuatro promesas lo cubren. No hay problema demasiado difícil, no hay necesidad muy grande, ninguna oración que él no responda, ningún predicamento que no resulte para nuestro bien, y ninguna situación en la que seamos dejados a la voluntad del mal. ¡Ya sea un problema en el trabajo, en casa o en cualquier lugar! Una necesidad en tu vida profesional, financiera o personal; una oración que pareces haber estado orando durante años, una situación que parece estar trabajando en tu contra; o un sentimiento de soledad ya sea personal o situacional… ¡Recuerda sus promesas! ¡Él ha prometido cuidarnos por siempre! Nuestro trabajo es creer. Él hará el resto. Cuando ores, recibe lo que has pedido.

Es su palabra la que está en juego, no la tuya... ¡Él es el Cumplidor de Promesas!

R Bermudez

There's Time

We are so very different. My whole life, she has done things I wouldn’t dream of doing.

And that day wasn’t any different.

My free-spirited big sister knelt by the granite stone and pulled a soggy note out of a sandwich bag. The bag had been shoved rather inconspicuously between two faded and tattered fake daffodils that stood like worn out sentries. It was a Memorial Day weekend, and we, laden with pungent and perky red geraniums, were dutifully making our annual pilgrimage to Chestnut Grove cemetery, to our parent’s gravesites. Despite my protests, my sis set down her plant and began to read out loud the much-too-personal letter she had “found.” Though the moisture of spring rain and early morning dew had blurred the ink, there was no mistaking the anguish penned so neatly on that single page.

A dear and precious loved one gone. Years of alienation and angry words wasted and regretted. Apologies. Brokenness. Grief. Declarations of affection. And finally, sad resignation that there had been no reconciliation and the torturous realization that it would never be.

There was no more time.

I felt horrible; we had violated something private and sacred. Hastily, my too-curious sister stuffed the sheet back into the sodden plastic. We looked at each other with tear-filled eyes, ashamed and silent, as we contemplated the heaviness and the profound truth of the moment, of the message we had read.

For the anonymous author, there was no more time to restore the broken relationship. There was no more time for anything with this person beneath the sod. No more time to laugh. No more time to cry. No more time to sing or dance or work or celebrate or visit or worship or pray or talk or play with that beloved. No more time to simply do life together.  

I have experienced that reality too many times.

I remember my niece’s funeral a few hot summers ago. Greg had the difficult privilege of officiating at her informal memorial service. Choking back his emotion, he lamented not having enough time with his cousin. Nearly the same age, the two had been very close all their growing up years. They had made different life choices along the road to adulthood, and their paths had diverged. “I always had in my mind that when life calmed down and we were old,” I remember Greg saying, “we would be sitting in rocking chairs on the porch, catching up, laughing, and enjoying each other like we always did.”

But there was no more time.

For me at age 17, there was no more time to tell my daddy how much I loved him. Neither did I later have more time to laugh with my wonderful neighbor. There was no more time to help and understand one of my oldest and dearest friends. There was no more time to learn from my wise brother-in-law. There was no more time to hold my sweet grandson.

Two weeks ago, I sat weeping in the familiar pew of my former church. We were attending the funeral of a very special friend, a precious lady who now was sitting at the feet of Jesus. We had visited, cooked, served, worshipped, prayed, chatted, hosted, mourned, and shared life for many years. But our paths also had diverged, and life was busy for both of us. It had been way too long since we had taken the time to connect. I was guilt-ridden and devastated. This was a woman I loved.

Again, there was no more time.

As I listened to the courageous husband’s beautiful eulogy and heard the hope-filled message of the pastor, my mind kept whispering to me. There’s no more time. You are too late to renew and enjoy that friendship.  Suddenly, I heard my Father’s voice of authority overriding the one in my head.

“There’s time.”

I was surprised. Almost immediately, I pictured in my head the awesome glories of heaven and there I was with Cookie, my friend, catching up! And we had time. We had all of eternity.

Now I am no theologian, and I can’t attest to the validity or the reliability of my imaginations or my day dreams. But I can tell you that my heaviness and shame disappeared in that very instant, and I began recalling and even yearning for the joys of heaven in a whole new way. Certainly, my focus there will be my King. Certainly, I will be singing praises and worshipping my God forever. But, thankfully, so will lots of people I love who have gone on ahead of me. What a precious, comforting thought!

I’ve often eagerly looked forward to a reunion with those God has called home before me conceptually. But imagining spending time with them? Catching up? Getting to perfectly love one another? To perfectly worship, serve, and obey our majestic Father together? Forever? How cool will that be! How beautiful.

I believe there will be time for that.

So I have been reminded once again: time is precious. My life here on earth is like vapor, like grass that quickly fades away. Is that a good reminder for you too?

Psalm 90:12 (NKJV) prompts each of us then to cry, “Teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.” Or as the Living Bible renders it, “Teach us to number our days and recognize how few they are; help us to spend them as we should.”

Ephesians 5:15 also has something to say to us. “So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise.”

I think we spend our days well, I think we are living wisely when we live our lives on Kingdom Mission. Our loving Father has equipped us and commissioned us to know Him and make Him known everywhere we go. He wants Heaven filled with our coworkers, our family, and our friends. And don’t we? Don’t we want them to join us in the joy of our Lord forever?

Let’s get out those invitations! Let’s support Camp Grace! Put up the antenna and throw out the bobber. Open your eyes and ears. Say yes. That’s how our panel last Sunday so plainly challenged us. Let’s not selfishly waste our limited time on our own selfish desires and comforts. Let’s make time for those we love and those we don’t. Let’s live for something bigger than us, something eternal. Let’s live to please our King!

There’s time for that.

After all, He doesn’t want anyone to be out of time.  

Nor should we….

—Eileen Hill

Light in Darkness

Seasons are changing. Days are getting shorter. The darkness is closing in. The reality that we are made of dirt is apparent. Dust to dust. 

Fellow Christians, why fear the dark? Do not lose heart. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 

He was afflicted in every way, but not crushed. He was perplexed, but not driven to despair. He was persecuted but not forsaken; He was struck down but not destroyed. Through the darkening political, social, and economic climate, His light grew. He remained filled with love for His Father and His neighbor. He produced fruit in season and out of season. The darkness of the cross and grave could not overcome His light. Even death could not hold Him.

By the power of Christ in us, we can do the same. We can remain aglow in the darkness. Jesus said,

“I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” 

We are given over to death so that the life of Jesus can also be manifested in our mortal bodies. We have this treasure in jars of clay so that the glory of God, who shines light in the darkness, can be made known to all. By the mercy of God, He has given us this incredible ministry. 

Paul reminds us to not lose heart,

“Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.  For this light and momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.  For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

When the lesser lights go out, Christ shines the brightest. May we seek to grow in our knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. As we do, the darkness will more deeply reveal the Light.

In Christ,

—Roger Garrison

Wisdom from Above

I have a friend who is also an elder of a local church. We have some great discussions. Our talks contain comments, questions, and pushbacks. We share revelations, challenges, and viewpoints that push us to go deeper and improve. I need friends like that. Everyone does.

My friend once told me that the Lord showed him something about me. He said the Lord showed him that I was an agitator. I thought, “Oh, boy, that doesn’t sound good.” He shared that, as he continued to seek the Lord about it, he realized that I’m not the anarchist type of agitator but rather an old-school washing machine agitator. He came to believe that God uses me as the part that keeps the water moving so that the laundry around it can get clean. It was a timely and needed insight into some of my introspection and a real chance for my friend to grow in sharing the results of his listening prayers for me.

I want more of us to experience the benefits of wisdom from above when we and others pray and Father chooses to speak truth to us. Discussing viewpoints gained in intercession takes us from the realm of knowledge (what we think we know) and moves us into the nectar of God’s wisdom for our lives and situations.

One translation expresses I Corinthians 1.18-25 like this:

To preach the message of the cross seems like sheer nonsense to those who are on their way to destruction, but to us who are on our way to salvation, it is the mighty power of God released within us. For it is written:
I will dismantle the wisdom of the wise and I will invalidate the intelligence of the scholars.
So where is the wise philosopher who understands? Where is the expert scholar who comprehends? And where is the skilled debater of our time who could win a debate with God?

Hasn’t God demonstrated that the wisdom of this world system is utter foolishness? For in His wisdom, God designed that all the world’s wisdom would be insufficient to lead people to the discovery of Himself. He took great delight in baffling the wisdom of the world by using the simplicity of preaching the story of the cross in order to save those who believe it.

For the Jews constantly demand to see miraculous signs, while those who are not Jews constantly cling to the world’s wisdom, but we preach the crucified Messiah. The Jews stumble over him and the rest of the world sees Him as foolishness. But for those who have been chosen to follow Him, both Jews and Greeks, He is God’s mighty power, God’s true wisdom, and our Messiah. For the “foolish” things of God have proven to be wiser than human wisdom. And the “feeble” things of God have proven to be far more powerful than any human ability.

All this is to say: we can know the scriptures well and mostly have worldly wisdom active in our view of ourselves, our situations, and others. We need Holy Spirit-imbued insights, God’s wisdom if you will, to be added to our “knowledge.” Could allowing our brothers and sisters to share the insights or thoughts they glean from their prayer or the storehouse of what Father has already taught them be a better way to grow deeper in God? Would we benefit from prayerfully considering that heavenly wisdom might offend our sensibilities or challenge our comfort level of how God works? Might we allow God’s wisdom to offend us freely and cause us to search the Word even when we initially deem it foolish or suspect?

So, what if our “wisdom” needs to be “agitated” to lead us to a better discovery of ourselves and our beloved? I say, let’s build a community where we make it easier to let Father Himself agitate us, stir our faith, remove the stains of our human way of trying to live. Let’s let Him show us how to add wisdom to our knowledge of the Word and also enlarge the place where we allow one another to have in the narrative of our lives.

Just some thoughts along the way.

—George Davis