(Last update: Sep 10, 2010:  This is one of my all-time favorite articles/sermons. I just felt that it needed some “front-page” attention again so I have re-published it. I believe it will be a blessing. – Ray)

I am embarrassed that in 40 years of dedicated Bible reading and study, I have often overlooked some of the most astounding Scriptures. One such Scripture is Zephaniah 3:17:

Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV) The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.

Leading up to this verse are some of the more depressing verses found in the Bible. The chapter starts out with a “Woe” and, since I don’t like “woes”, I probably have just “shut down my thinking” when I tried to read this chapter in the past.

However, this time, when I read the chapter, I realized that the woe is to the wicked people – not to God’s children!

Another powerful concept also came to my mind — Just read the first 13 verses and you may recognize that these verses describe our present world! This woe was written to warn the wicked people in OUR generation!

The good news is that those who are meek & humble and trust in the name of the Lord will escape the wrath of God at the end of this age. (Compare 1 Thessalonians 5:4,9) Read the rest of this entry »

Life is so full of uncertainties. Wouldn’t it be great if there were at least a few things we could count on? Some constants to give us a reliable foundation for the beginning of each new day? Well, Jesus assures us there are. Unfortunately, not all of them are good:

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34

Haven’t you found that to be true? In my sixty odd years of living, I’ve yet to come across a day that didn’t have MORE than enough trouble in it to keep me well occupied. Even on the best of days, little nagging things will go wrong.

And our response to those troubles is equally consistent. We worry. And we are so terribly good at it. I’m reminded of English class and how we used to conjugate all the various forms of a verb. Well worry is a verb and we’ve leaned to worry in a way that has all the verb forms covered: Past, present and future tenses; singular and plural; first, second and third person; we do them all. And no matter what form our worrying takes, it is so insidiously destructive. Literally billions of dollars are spent every year treating the physical and emotional damage we do to ourselves through our worrying. The list of ailments being attributed to worry, including some forms of cancer and heart disease, grows daily. Despite this growing evidence against worrying and the clear instructions of our Savior to avoid it, we continue to make it one of our constant companions of every day.

In His instructions against worry (Matthew 6:25-34), Jesus tells us to look at the evidence of the Father’s faithfulness in the world around us. Birds that don’t plant or harvest, but are fed. Grass that does not labor or spin but is clothed in splendid beauty. Then Jesus asks us this simple but awesome question, “Are you not much more valuable than they?” Read the rest of this entry »

He loves me. He loves me not.

The chant continues as one-by-one the daisy petals are plucked from the flower and dropped to the ground. At game’s end the last petal tells all; whether or not the person of their desire also cares for them in return.

Of course no one takes it seriously, and if children don’t get the answer they desire they take another daisy and start the process again. It doesn’t take long even for them to realize that flowers just weren’t designed to tell romantic fortunes. Why should they link their heart’s desires to the fickleness of chance?

Why indeed! But it is a lesson far easier learned in romance than in more spiritual pursuits. For long after we’ve put away our daisies, many of us continue to play the game with God. This time we don’t pluck flower petals, but probe through our circumstances trying to figure exactly how God feels about us.

• I got a raise. He loves me.
• I didn’t get the promotion I wanted, or I lost my job altogether. He loves me not!
• Something in the Bible inspired me today. He loves me!
• My child is seriously ill. He loves me not!
• I gave money to someone in need. He loves me!
• I let my anger get the best of me. He loves me not!
• Something I prayed for actually happened. He loves me!
• I stretched to truth to get me out of a tight spot. He loves me not!
• A friend calls from out of the blue and encourages me. He loves me!
• My car needs a new transmission. He loves me not!

This is an excerpt from the book, “He Loves Me” by Wayne Jacobsen. Read more at http://lifestream.org/waynes-books.php?bid=5

Recently, I read an article about a pastor who walked out on the stage of a large church and announced, “God knows your secret!” After a short pause (and likely, some gasps from his listeners), he continued, “And He loves you anyway!” Now *THAT* I like!!!

This past Sunday was Father’s Day and I wanted to show the “proper respect”

to the guys <grin>. I asked all of the “Perfect Dads” to stand up and be recognized. No one stood up! (Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!) That is the situation that we all find ourselves in – imperfect people in a world calling for perfection. Well, I followed that with some last-minute shopping suggestions for those imperfect dads.

My favorite is the “Men’s Underwear Repair Kit” available from fredflare.com (only $9.95). Here is the description of the kit:

Is your favorite pair of undies about to give up? Save its life with this repair kit! You get iron-on patches, white out, duct tape, elastic waistband, needle & thread, safety pins and a hilarious 32 pg manual. Say “no” to holes! Measures about 6″x8″.

Since none of us is perfect in the eyes of those around us, we sometimes assume that we can never be perfect in God’s eyes either. Well, we could be mistaken!

You can download the outline here