Rubber On The Road  

Max, my grandson, (age 4) loves to collect pairs of gloves; he calls them “glubs.” 

The other day, while shopping, I found a pair of Halloween gloves for him to add to his ‘glub’ collection.  

They had a strange really bad smell because of the embossed bone print on the top of the hand.  When I gave them to him he jumped up and down saying, “Thanks, mamaw, they JUST what I been needin’!”   

Later, as I turned to put supper on the table, there stood Max; WEARING 2 grocery store bags! One he had taken a pair of scissors and cut two cuts in the bottom, put his legs through the cuts and pulled the bag up so the handles went over his shoulders, making grocery bag overalls.   

The second bag he had put across his back, putting an arm through each handle. The bag puffed over his shoulders like a balloon cape. Underneath his bag outfit, he wore a pair of black shorts.

He had put a blue plastic mixing bowl on his head, a pair of black knee socks on his feet and his new black bone gloves on his little hands.  

Stunned, I said, MAX! what are you doing?  He stood there, hands on his hips and proclaimed, “I’m Bag Man, I fight evil all over!” 

Before I could regain my composure, he held out a black gloved bone hand and said, “Smell my hand, it has vapors on it to fight evil.”  From Bag Man’s bowl helmet to the ‘protective guiding socks;’ each piece of his armor had special ‘reasons.’   

In Ephesians 6, God uses the armor of a warrior to illustrate how important our Christian armor is. As Christians, we are in a battle, a battle where the victory is certain but the battle is tough.  If we neglect to dress for battle, or go into battle with a piece of our ‘armor’ missing, we risk serious spiritual injury.  

Every day, remember, dress for spiritual warfare. We need more than the helmet of salvation. We need the shield of faith, the sword of the spirit and the shoes of the Gospel of peace. We are in a battle; put your war clothes on.   

Ephesians 6:10-13  Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

Prayer:  Father, remind me to always put my spiritual armor on before I start my day. Your word is a light to my path—I need the full protection of your armor to see me on. Amen.

While enrolling my 3 year old grandson for VBS, the secretary asked him what his mama’s name was. Zac assuredly said, “Mom.”   

Amused and needing more information than the obvious, she continued, “What’s your mama’s first name?”  

After a moment of thought, awareness struck him and he proclaimed, “MY mom.”

 Just like there is a difference between, “Mom” and “MY mom,” there is a difference between Jesus is Lord and Jesus is MY Lord. 

According to Rasmussen, in an April, 2010 independent survey, (81{03cfc460ee471696895095d15914aa94e2affa08ca8863622c4ab45d0198dbc7}) of Americans believe that Jesus was the son of God who came to Earth and died for our sins.  

However, according to a recent Gallup poll, (41{03cfc460ee471696895095d15914aa94e2affa08ca8863622c4ab45d0198dbc7}) of Americans that state they are “Christian” say that they rarely or never read the Bible or spend personal time in prayer!  

It would seem that most Americans understand who Jesus is and why He died on the cross; Jesus is Lord. But, sadly, less than half of those that say they are Christian have a personal relationship with Christ. There is a lost awareness of Jesus as “MY” Lord in our lives. 

God did not create us to worship Him, the Bible says if we don’t praise, Him, well, never mind, the rocks will (Luke 19:37-40).  The heavens declare the glory of God (Psalms 19). God did not need us, He wanted us.  

God sent His son, Jesus, to pay the price for our sins so we could have a personal relationship with Him. No other God wants a relationship with us; no other God cares enough for us to provide His son as a living sacrifice (John 3:16) so we can come before Him with the confidence of intimacy (Hebrews 4:14-17).  

According to Hebrews 2:1-4; to know God loves us that much, to intellectually acknowledge His death on the cross that brings us into relationship, yet, reject that intimacy is a dangerous path to choose.  

Hebrews 2:1 We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.

Years ago, I was doing a promo skit for an evangelism class at our church.  I dressed up as a wild woman, big hat, crazy dress, red tennis shoes, bright red lipstick—carrying a big cardboard sign. The plan was that, on ‘cue,’ given by the Pastor, I’d come running in the back door like a crazy woman, yelling, “Repent!” Once I’d get to the pulpit, he was going to tell me about the new class that was starting and how I could benefit from it and become more productive in my witnessing. 

Unfortunately, ‘we’ never thought to tell the usher at the door about our skit.   When I threw the door open and ran in yelling, the usher tackled me! I ended up with a busted lip and carpet burns on my chin and knees. It was—— a sight.   

Evangelism is so important!  There have been books written, classes taught and seminars held; so ‘we’ can know how to say the perfect thing that will win the lost. If you haven’t availed yourself of these learning tools, you should.  But, when all is said and done, there are only a few who have the ‘gift’ of on the spot evangelism.   The rest of us can also be evangelists, the cost is time. Make time to study God’s word to know the scriptures and have them always ready when an opportunity is had. Spend time in prayer, seeking the direction of the Holy Spirit so we can be aware of opportunity to minister God’s word to those around us.  Sometimes, the door is wide open for us to speak of our Lord.  Other times, we must pray for a door to BE opened.    The most important part of evangelism is realizing you can’t be a ‘witness’ to something you haven’t experienced.  Witnessing is simple; you introduce a person to somebody you love.  I Peter 3:15 But in your hearts, set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.  

When my grandson, Max, was only a few weeks old, he had colic that was just endless! 

His three year old brother became so upset by the new baby’s constant crying that his Mommy and Daddy finally told him, “Babies cry. We just have to love him through it.” 

Satisfied that crying was just going to be part of having a baby brother; Zack accepted the constant crying without further comment.   

One afternoon, Zack was playing and Max was, as ususal, crying.   Suddenly, Max fell asleep mid-cry and was quiet.  Zack jumped up from his toys, ran over to the baby, kneeled down, and popped his brother in the face!  Needless to say, Max woke up with a scream and began crying again.  Zack stood up and with a look of relief said, “It’s ok, Max is crying again now!”    

Sometimes, when we are coping with one of life’s difficult circumstances we begin to think ‘this’ is how life is.  We become so used to dealing with the daily tears and frustration that we forget what life is supposed to feel like.  The abnormal becomes normal.   When good things do happen, we feel fear and anxiety because it isn’t “normal”.    

God does not change.  God’s plan for our lives does not change.  He has planned GOOD things for us even though what we’re going through at the moment is hard.  Sometimes, it seems what we are going through will last forever and we will never laugh or enjoy life again.  But, in time, it will be resolved; God is faithful. 

Take time to spend in God’s Word and in His presence each day no matter how weary or pressed you are.  In Him there is hope and peace and even joy.  Life is often hard but during those hard times, God has not forgotten where you are; rest in Him! 

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you”, says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

In the aftermath of hurricane Katrina in August, 2005, survivors were at the top of all our prayer lists.

Sometimes, we, as adults, miss the observations kids make about disasters and world problems.  Kids can show a depth of understanding that is truly remarkable.

The week after Katrina, when I was sitting with Zac (age 11)  Max (age 8 ) and Ally (age 7), I asked them if they were aware of the disaster that had happened.  They all said they were and their mom had helped them to pray for all the people. I asked them to momentarily, in their mind, be ‘there’ and think about what would people need, more than anything else, if they were in that position.

I reminded them that people had been living on a concrete bridge with hundreds of other folks for several days, the temperatures were in the 90’s, there was no food, water, privacy, no toilet paper or bathrooms. No light, no fans, no radios or TVs, no clean clothes. Faced with so much need, if you could take these folks anything that you could carry to them, what would you take them and what would you tell them?

After thought, Zac said he’d take them a hamburger, a drink and a Bible and he would tell them to eat and drink first; then read the Bible so they’d have hope. Max said he’d go to each and every person and pick them up and hug them tight and tell them it was going to be ok, just be patient–and then he’d ask them if they had Jesus in their heart.  Ally said she’d take them (her favorite) bubble bath and really pretty clean clothes and then she would sit with them and just be quiet and listen to them talk about it.

What I found truly amazing was the responses given , later that night, on the news, as some of the hurricane refugees were interviewed .  When the folks were asked what they wanted more than anything, the most common answers were:  food and drink, a Bible, clean clothes—and a bath.  When the folks were asked what they wanted to do more than anything, most of them said, “hug and kiss my kids (or mom, dad, grandmother—) again.

Don’t ever think kids don’t understand what’s going on and don’t ever think they are too little to know what’s important.  As adults, sometimes we focus on the ‘extras’ and leave out the basics. Perhaps that is why Jesus said that in order to enter the kingdom of God, you must have the heart of a child?

(Luke 18:17) I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the Kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.

One day, I heard my granddaughter, Allyson, singing and laughing. Curious as to what was bringing her such joyful abandon, I peeked around the corner to find her dancing! 

Singing, she spun round and round so that her skirt flowed out from her like a floating cloud. Unaware of my presence, she laughed and skipped, spun and twirled.

When she finally saw me, she laughed all the more and invited, ‘Come dance with me mamaw!’  We joined hands and for a moment twirled together as she sang her song.  I took a picture of her joyful dance so that I would never forget such a special moment shared between us.

When King David returned from Obed-Edom the Gittite’s house with the ark of the Lord, he was so excited to have the ark of God that he began to dance with all of his might! (2 Sam 6:10-15) Totally lost in the joy of the moment, he gave no thought to appearances or audience.

The Bible gives many examples of dancing before the Lord; from the joyful abandon of praise (Psalms 149:3) to the evidence of emotional healing. (Psalms 30:11 He turns our mourning into dancing!).

Indeed, according to the Word, David, who loved to dance before the Lord, was a man after God’s own heart. God created us for relationship; He delights in the things that bring us joy!

Take time to enjoy the Lord! Don’t be content with merely showing up at scheduled church services. Find a quiet moment every day to talk to Him; to be with Him (Jeremiah 29:11-13).  Our God is the only God that wants a relationship with His people!

Tell the Lord about the things that make you laugh and the things that you plan and look forward to. He isn’t a God that is far away.  When we draw near to God with a clean heart; He will draw near to us! (James 4: 7-8) 

Whether you dance before Him, sing to Him, talk about your day or just spend a quiet moment in shared intimacy, enjoy the presence of the Lord today.

Psalms 149:3-4  Let them praise his name with dancing and make music to him with timbrel and harp. For the LORD takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with victory.

Prayer:  My Lord, I want to find intimacy with you. I want to know the sound of your voice, feel the breath of your Spirit and totally give my heart to you. Teach me to listen, to seek and to hear, whether you speak through your Word, or directly into my heart.  I want to hear you. I love you. Amen.

Scripture References:

2 Sam 6:10-15  He was not willing to take the ark of the Lord to be with him in the City of David. Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite.  The ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months, and the Lord blessed him and his entire household.

Now King David was told, “The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of God.” So David went to bring up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing. When those who were carrying the ark of the Lord had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the Lord with all his might, while he and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets.

Psalms 149:3  Let them praise his name with dancing and make music to him with timbrel and harp.

Psalms 30:11 You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy–

Jeremiah 29:11-13   For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 

James 4: 7-8  Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 

The Word gives us direction for our lives but we can not take a line here, a line there out of the Bible and use “it” for direction or cite “it” as doctrine. 

A good illustration is “The Alien Scripture Verse,” an activity I invented for Kid’s Church. I gave the kids a list of scriptures to look up.  i.e.: “Mark 3:5, word 6” or “The punctuation mark at the end of Ezekiel 3: 7”. 

When all the scriptures were looked up the “message” they had taken from God’s Word said something totally ridiculous like, “Purple rain makes a good foot stool!”  The kids were all going, “whaaaaaat?”  I asked them to explain the message they had found in God’s word.  Of course, they could not; the “verse” was absolute nonsense! 

Then, I told them, “This is what happens when you take a word here and a phrase there out of the Bible and hold it up as doctrine or use it for direction. The message of the Bible is complete only when read in its entirety. The Bible does not contradict itself! When read in its entirety, in proper context, everything makes sense.” 

 The scriptures have both sound doctrine and offer great direction for our lives; but, ONLY when it is rightly divided. It is not wise to pull a piece out of God’s Word and let it stand alone.  It must be read in full context.  Being saved gives us access to the mind of Christ, through the direction of the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 2:16). God gave us not only a free will, but a brain to reason with.

II 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.

Prayer: Father God, help me to read your Word with understanding. I want to walk in the light of your direction. Thank you for the gift of your Spirit to instruct me. Amen.

“This design contains artwork that is © 2006-2008 FunDraw.Com.”

One of my favorite things about God’s Word is; that it doesn’t “gloss over” the humanity of His children. Whether they fell or triumphed, He told of it.  The Bible is about real people, who really lived. They made mistakes just like I do, and, just like He did with them, God will work with me to make my errors into triumphs, if I LET Him.

When God spoke to Jonah the first time, Jonah ran away from God.  History explains why: Nineveh was the capital of the cruel Assyrian Empire from 705 to 612 B.C. The Assyrians actually erected monuments to the horrible tortures performed on their enemies! (Five Great Monarchies by George Rawlinson)

It was the wickedness of Nineveh that cried out to God inciting Him to send Jonah to preach against their sin. (Jonah 1:1-2)  Most likely, it was the knowledge that he would be tortured for telling them they were doing wrong, that caused Jonah to run instead of  “go.”  Sometimes, I have a difficult time ‘going’ to people I know, and the worst that could happen to me is rejection. Jonah ran because he was afraid he’d be skinned alive.

Never the less; God did not change His mind about Jonah being the witness to Nineveh. No matter where Jonah ran, he could not escape God’s call. (Jonah 1:3-4) God’s call to ministry is never canceled.

Finally, in the slimy smelly belly of a fish, Jonah was ready to listen. (Jonah 3:1-3)  Notice that once Jonah did as he was told; the entire wicked city of Nineveh repented and served God!  (Jonah 3:6-10)

God has a plan for every one of us. He reveals His plan for our lives as we seek Him. Perhaps His plan is that you serve Him with all of your heart, right where you are.  Or, maybe He has plans for you in professional ministry or on the mission field. He leads by His Spirit and as we seek Him, doors are opened, paths are made straight and direction is revealed.

Today, it isn’t fear of torture that makes us “run.” It’s simply busyness and inconvenience. Can you imagine standing before God with people like Jonah?  “Sorry, God, I was just so busy with stuff—“

No matter how busy you are or where you go to hide, God’s plan for your life remains. Sometimes, God will even send problems and special circumstances to bring us to a place where we MUST be still and listen. (Jonah 1:17)

What is God calling you to do? Stop running and pretending like you don’t hear Him. When it comes to God’s plan for your life, the only question is; how long will your Lord and the people in “your own Nineveh” have to wait?

 Jonah 3:3 Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh.

Prayer: Father, help me to trust your will for my life. Open my eyes to see that you want to use me to reach those around me; “my Nineveh”. Help me to always be sensitive to the direction of the Holy Spirit and responsive to His voice. Amen.

Scriptural References:

Jonah 1:1-2 The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: ² “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”

Jonah 1:3-4 But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD. Then the LORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up.

Jonah 3:6-10 When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles:

Do not let any man or beast, herd or flock, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.”

When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened.

Jonah 1:17 But the LORD provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.

Years ago, we lived in a house that had a peach tree in the backyard.  All summer long, I watched as the buds went from bud to flower to fruit to ripen.  As I watched the fruit’s progression, I thought about the wonderful sweet, juicy cobbler that would be my reward at summer’s end.  

Finally, the day came when the fruit was perfectly ripened!  Overjoyed, I gathered my harvest and went to my kitchen to prepare the cobbler. To my dismay, when I opened the fruit, it was full of worms!  Peach after peach was thrown into the garbage. All the fruit had looked great on the outside. But, inside, the worms had gnawed away the flesh until all that was left was rot! 

A gardener told me that there is more to growing fruit than letting it develop.  The tree must be cultivated; kept free from destructive vermin and blight.  The next year, I carefully cultivated the tree and had an abundant crop of sweet fruit!  

To make us unfruitful satan tries to prevent us from cultivating the fruits of the Spirit in our lives. The outward manifestation of the fruits of the Spirit is what sets us apart from the world.  Life is often hard; we face challenges, turmoil and difficult decisions every day.  The world is watching how we, as Christians, respond to these challenges.  

When we actively cultivate the fruits of the Spirit in our lives, the ways of the world (the sinful nature) become more obvious to our spiritual eyes and are easier to weed out. If we fail to weed out the sinful nature, we may look like great Christian fruit on the outside, but on the inside, we are full of worms.  Given time, those worms will eat away at our heart. Eventually our spiritual fruit; our witness and our relationship with our Lord, will be spoiled. 

Just like fertilizing and caring for the peaches, it is up to US, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to weed out the sinful nature that would prevent the growth of good spiritual fruit .  

Gal. 5:22-24  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Against such things, there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.

The No Name Lizards

Acts 17:22-23

My grandson, Quinlan, was showing me his two pet lizards. When I inquired what their names were he quickly responded, “They don’t have names, they are the no name lizards.”  After a moment’s thought, he added, “I guess I could call them Lizard Number One and Lizard Number Two.”

The people of Athens, Greece, had so many gods that they actually erected a monument to the “unknown god.” This memorial to the “unknown” was “just in case.” They were so concerned with worshipping all the gods that they didn’t want to risk missing one.

We don’t erect official monuments to our “gods,” but our time is carefully rationed and planned to include everything. Our calendars and appointment books are filled with dates and times of activities that are so important we write them down so we don’t forget.

Often, we reinforce our memory with sticky note reminders of haircuts, dentist appointments and lunch with friends.  We want to make SURE we remember!

However, we rarely plan a definite time for devotions, prayer, Bible study or even fellowship at church. We often keep these “God appointments,” as haphazard; “do when I can work it in” commitments.

God created us for relationship, even sending His own son to die so sin could no longer separate us from Him.  Why is it that we rarely put Him at the top of our list?

Our God even sent His Holy Spirit so we could have intimacy and come boldly before Him to have relationship (I Corinthians 2:9-11, Romans 8:26-27).  In His Word, He instructs us to take time for fellowship so we can find encouragement within the body of believers (Hebrews 10:25).

We don’t erect monuments to “the unknown god,” but our busy lives are a monument to our neglect of the one true God.  Take time; make time to worship the only God, the King of Kings, Lord of Lords.  You KNOW who He is.

Acts 17:22-23 Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.

Prayer:  Father, I love you and I’m so thankful that you want to spend time with me. Help me to always remember how much you love me. Help me to share my heart with you. Show me how to make time in my busyness to enjoy your presence. Amen.

Scripture References:

I Corinthians 2:9-11 ⁹ However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived the things God has prepared for those who love him ¹⁰ these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. ¹¹ For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

Romans 8:26-27 ²⁶ In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. ²⁷ And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

Hebrews 10:25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.