This past Sunday I took my three year old to a new Sunday School class. He graduated from "Lollypop Lane" (which was basically a play center for young kids) to the 3 to 5year old class. In this new class they draw, hear Bible stories, have snacks and play games.
Since it was his first time in this new class, I decided to stay with him for the duration of the class to see what took place and how well he interacted with the other kids. I considered this a minor sacrifice knowing I would not be able to attend our regular service and hear this Sunday's sermon. To my surprise, I learned many spiritual truths in the presence of these toddlers.
Jesus was fond of little children. In fact he made some profound statements about children and the kingdom of God.
"Verily I say unto you, Except you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever shall receive one such little child in my name receives me." Matthew 18:3-5
Here are some observations I made as I was in the midst of these little children.
Story time : The Bible story for the day was about Jacob and Esau, the sons of Isaac and Rebekah. The overarching theme of the story was that we need to "love one another". The simplicity of the message made an impact on my own heart. How often are we looking for the deeper revelations from God when we haven't yet mastered the clearest commandment of the entire Bible - love each other.
Ask in faith : When it came to snack time, the kids were offered Goldfish and apple juice. As some of the kids finished their snack they simply asked for more. "Can I have more fish?" "Can I have more juice?" I became the teacher's helper and had the privilege of serving these little ones. Their simple requests reminded me of Jesus' teaching that we need to ask God in faith for what we need knowing that our Heavenly Father desires to give us what is good. (Matthew 7:7-11)
Freedom and Joy : Toward the end of the class there was time remaining before the parents would return. The teacher played some Christian music and invited the kids to dance. When the music stopped, they would "freeze" in place. The kids had no hesitation to get out on the carpet and cut the rug. Each one had their own style of dancing from spinning in circles to a simple bend of the knees, but one thing they had in common was their unhindered ability to be free and happy. There were no concerns about what other people thought about them or if they would be criticized for their silly moves, they just danced because it was the fun thing to do.
As I sat there with these little children admiring their uniqueness and simple lives, I thought, "Maybe I should help out here more often." Shortly after the class, the Sunday School coordinator asked if I'd be available to help out during the Summer with the kids. I thought to myself, "Ok, God, I hear you loud and clear." So for the next few weeks I will have the honor of assisting in this class and being taught by 3, 4 and 5 year olds what it means to be a child of God.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
A Couple "Love Stories"
In my last blog, I spoke about the importance of holiness in our walk with Christ. This blog, I'd like to emphasize the importance of love by sharing two recent stories with you.
The first story took place a couple weekends back on one of the hottest days of the year. The main air conditioner in our home living room went on the fritz. Having a small baby in the house it was imperative that we get the thing working...and fast!
So in the short term I popped in a smaller air conditioning unit in our bedroom where the baby spends most of her time and day sleeping (Praise God, we got a good sleeping baby this time!!). Then my wife called a couple we are friends with to ask if the husband would be available to help me install a new air conditioner.
Soon after my friend was at my door ready to help. Ironically he and I are both the youngest boys in our family. Now in case you don't know what that means, let me fill you in. The youngest boys only watch what is done around the house, they aren't included (or allowed to) actually do anything. No matter how old we get, it's all up to the older brothers. In some ways this was good (I got to play a lot more ball growing up), in other ways it's bad (I'm a klutz when it comes to fixing things around the house). Fortunately my friend was over his father's house last year when his A/C went out so he saw how to remove and install one(of course his brothers did all the work and he watched).
So my friend and I worked to remove this gargantuon, dinosaur of an air conditioning unit and lugged it to my front curb. We then took a trip to Home Depot to find the right size air conditioner to replace it. Three hundred and fifty dollars later we were headed back to my house to install the new unit.
Thankfully, the newer unit was much lighter and easier to install and we did not have to replace the outside metal casing that holds the unit in place. Then came the moment of truth (and cool air!) when we plugged the unit in, and voila! - nothing happened!!!
We scratched our heads a bit and stood in wonder. What could be wrong with this thing? I first concluded that the outlet must have a problem with it. At this point, I was tired, frustrated and hot. I took a quick step outside and said a quick breath of a prayer, probably my first prayer throughout this whole ordeal. "God, help me to stay in faith and give us wisdom."
"Should we check the circuit breakers?" my friend inquired. I thought to myself, "Oh no, don't tell me it was simply a circuit breaker." ...
And you guessed it...we flipped the circuit breaker over and the new machine worked like a charm. I will now answer the question every man is asking themselves, "Did you keep the new A/C unit?" I looked at my friend and apologized, "I'm sorry for wasting all your time today." He said, "No problem, I would have made the same mistake." (A very gracious response). Then I said, "Would you mind putting the old unit back in?" He agreed. We took out the new one and hoised the old one from the curb and put it back in. It ran beautifully.
I'm sure there are a lot of lessons to be learned here including the practical lesson of simply checking the circuit breaker before looking to replace a "dead" A/C unit. But I think the greater lesson I learned was the value of a good friend and what true Christian love is all about. My friend never complained, fussed, condemned me or laughed at me. He gave up his own precious time with his family and kids to be with me fixing an air conditioner that wasn't even broken and in the end didn't make me feel terrible about myself for making such a foolish mistake.
Now that's love. Thanks brother!
Now for one more quick "love story".
Last week we had a team outing at work to go play minature golf in the afternoon. I decided to work from home in the morning and then leave at lunchtime to go play. When it came time to leave, my son Elijah, now 3 soon to be 4, did not want me to go (or at least not to go without him).
I tried to explain to him that I wouldn't be gone long and that I'd come back to play with him, but this logic didn't curve his heart's desire to be with Daddy. I tried to distract him and make a dash for my car at one point, but could hear him crying and upset even from my driver's seat.
My wife came out to the car and said, "You've got to come in here, he's really having a tough time." So I came in and picked up my son in my arms (man, he's getting heavy) and started to tell him that I loved him and would be back soon. As I spoke the words, "I love you." I had the thought, "If you love him so much, what are you doing to show him that you love him?" Again, I lifted up a quick prayer for wisdom and the thought came to me, "Take him with you."
So I told my wife, "I'm going to take Elijah with me." So we gathered him some snacks to take with us and we were on our way.
Now this was not supposed to be a family event, but a team building event for my work. So I knew I was "breaking the rules" and would possibly be subjected to some funny looks, bad attitudes or whispers by those who didn't approve of my choice to bring my son along. But by faith (and love) I took him and he was very happy.
Now here comes the true "love story". Around the 16th hole (this was the nicest minature golf course I've ever seen, by the way), Elijah decided to throw his ball and it landed in a large pond. The pond was fenced in with signs around it warning golfers not to bother the swans. I tried to stick my club in to fish out his ball to no avail. So I told him we'd have to continue on without his special blue ball.
But by the time we got to the next hole, he was again asking for the ball. So my co-workers with me suggested I try to grab another ball that was laying beside the water. We went over to try and scoop it out and as I leaned over the fence, my glasses dropped in and landed right next to the ball on the rocks next to the pond.
My co-worker looked at me and said, "Now you've got to go in." So we surveyed the area and pointed out the best place to hop the fence. In the meantime, there was a huge swan eyeing me down. I made the jump. Grabbed the ball and my glasses and hopped back over the fence before the killer swan could reach me. And believe me, he was coming my way.
While my heroics will never compare to the stories of modern day Super-men who save lives from burning buildings, one thing holds true. True love does what's best for another.
"Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends." - Jesus
(John 15:13)
The first story took place a couple weekends back on one of the hottest days of the year. The main air conditioner in our home living room went on the fritz. Having a small baby in the house it was imperative that we get the thing working...and fast!
So in the short term I popped in a smaller air conditioning unit in our bedroom where the baby spends most of her time and day sleeping (Praise God, we got a good sleeping baby this time!!). Then my wife called a couple we are friends with to ask if the husband would be available to help me install a new air conditioner.
Soon after my friend was at my door ready to help. Ironically he and I are both the youngest boys in our family. Now in case you don't know what that means, let me fill you in. The youngest boys only watch what is done around the house, they aren't included (or allowed to) actually do anything. No matter how old we get, it's all up to the older brothers. In some ways this was good (I got to play a lot more ball growing up), in other ways it's bad (I'm a klutz when it comes to fixing things around the house). Fortunately my friend was over his father's house last year when his A/C went out so he saw how to remove and install one(of course his brothers did all the work and he watched).
So my friend and I worked to remove this gargantuon, dinosaur of an air conditioning unit and lugged it to my front curb. We then took a trip to Home Depot to find the right size air conditioner to replace it. Three hundred and fifty dollars later we were headed back to my house to install the new unit.
Thankfully, the newer unit was much lighter and easier to install and we did not have to replace the outside metal casing that holds the unit in place. Then came the moment of truth (and cool air!) when we plugged the unit in, and voila! - nothing happened!!!
We scratched our heads a bit and stood in wonder. What could be wrong with this thing? I first concluded that the outlet must have a problem with it. At this point, I was tired, frustrated and hot. I took a quick step outside and said a quick breath of a prayer, probably my first prayer throughout this whole ordeal. "God, help me to stay in faith and give us wisdom."
"Should we check the circuit breakers?" my friend inquired. I thought to myself, "Oh no, don't tell me it was simply a circuit breaker." ...
And you guessed it...we flipped the circuit breaker over and the new machine worked like a charm. I will now answer the question every man is asking themselves, "Did you keep the new A/C unit?" I looked at my friend and apologized, "I'm sorry for wasting all your time today." He said, "No problem, I would have made the same mistake." (A very gracious response). Then I said, "Would you mind putting the old unit back in?" He agreed. We took out the new one and hoised the old one from the curb and put it back in. It ran beautifully.
I'm sure there are a lot of lessons to be learned here including the practical lesson of simply checking the circuit breaker before looking to replace a "dead" A/C unit. But I think the greater lesson I learned was the value of a good friend and what true Christian love is all about. My friend never complained, fussed, condemned me or laughed at me. He gave up his own precious time with his family and kids to be with me fixing an air conditioner that wasn't even broken and in the end didn't make me feel terrible about myself for making such a foolish mistake.
Now that's love. Thanks brother!
Now for one more quick "love story".
Last week we had a team outing at work to go play minature golf in the afternoon. I decided to work from home in the morning and then leave at lunchtime to go play. When it came time to leave, my son Elijah, now 3 soon to be 4, did not want me to go (or at least not to go without him).
I tried to explain to him that I wouldn't be gone long and that I'd come back to play with him, but this logic didn't curve his heart's desire to be with Daddy. I tried to distract him and make a dash for my car at one point, but could hear him crying and upset even from my driver's seat.
My wife came out to the car and said, "You've got to come in here, he's really having a tough time." So I came in and picked up my son in my arms (man, he's getting heavy) and started to tell him that I loved him and would be back soon. As I spoke the words, "I love you." I had the thought, "If you love him so much, what are you doing to show him that you love him?" Again, I lifted up a quick prayer for wisdom and the thought came to me, "Take him with you."
So I told my wife, "I'm going to take Elijah with me." So we gathered him some snacks to take with us and we were on our way.
Now this was not supposed to be a family event, but a team building event for my work. So I knew I was "breaking the rules" and would possibly be subjected to some funny looks, bad attitudes or whispers by those who didn't approve of my choice to bring my son along. But by faith (and love) I took him and he was very happy.
Now here comes the true "love story". Around the 16th hole (this was the nicest minature golf course I've ever seen, by the way), Elijah decided to throw his ball and it landed in a large pond. The pond was fenced in with signs around it warning golfers not to bother the swans. I tried to stick my club in to fish out his ball to no avail. So I told him we'd have to continue on without his special blue ball.
But by the time we got to the next hole, he was again asking for the ball. So my co-workers with me suggested I try to grab another ball that was laying beside the water. We went over to try and scoop it out and as I leaned over the fence, my glasses dropped in and landed right next to the ball on the rocks next to the pond.
My co-worker looked at me and said, "Now you've got to go in." So we surveyed the area and pointed out the best place to hop the fence. In the meantime, there was a huge swan eyeing me down. I made the jump. Grabbed the ball and my glasses and hopped back over the fence before the killer swan could reach me. And believe me, he was coming my way.
While my heroics will never compare to the stories of modern day Super-men who save lives from burning buildings, one thing holds true. True love does what's best for another.
"Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends." - Jesus
(John 15:13)
Friday, June 6, 2008
A Call to Holiness
As I completed a grocery store run for my wife and entered the parking lot with my two toddler boys seated in the red race car shopping cart I thought to myself, "Job well done." I grinned as I thought about just how "responsible" I was becoming as a Father. Before my ego had time to blow my head to smithereens, I sensed the Holy Spirit speaking gently to my heart. Within a flash of a moment I understood the message.
"Being responsible is good, but I've called you to more than that. I've called you to holiness."
Suddenly my sense of pride wilted like a head of lettuce left out in the hot Sun, losing all of it's glory and splendor. A couple scriptures soon came to mind.
"Be Holy, for I am holy." (1 Peter 1:15)
"Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord" (Hebrews 12:11)
As I continued on in my day with my sons, I started to meditate on this word from the Lord. I realized that God desires holiness more than anything else.
It's not that being responsible is a bad thing, of course not. As long as being responsible doesn't come in the way of being holy, then it is a wonderful thing. And that holds true for any other noble virtue.
If God has given you a good sense of humor, then use it to his glory, just as long as you don't break the greater standard, that of holiness, by telling off colored jokes.
If God has made you industrious and a good worker with your hands, then work diligently. Just don't allow pride to rob Him of glory and deplete your true calling to holiness.
If you have a very sociable personality and have no problems making friends or being a conversationalist, great! Praise the Lord for your beam of light. Just don't lose sight of holiness and become the center of your world and everyone else's attention.
A second realization came to me as I meditated on God's call to holiness. Sometimes even as Christians we forget that God's standard is much different and higher than our own human benchmark. Jesus did not come to die for "pretty good people". He came and died for sinners. At the core of the gospel is the fact that we will never measure up to God's criterion of holiness on our own, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God". (Romans 3:23)
The good news, (ie the gospel) is that through Christ, we are justified (made right) with God and by God's grace we are redeemed (accepted back) by God. The above verse goes on to say,
"being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed to demonstrate at the present time His rightousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus." Romans 3:24-26
As I consider the things that "drive" me to do what I do and say, I must ask myself this question. "Is the value that's driving me at this point in time in any way contrary or lower than God's call to holiness?" If so, I must adjust my priorities and seek God's gold standard, holiness.
After another trip to a local play center, I got my kids in the car and headed home. I realized I was running late for a meeting I had to attend. My focus and priority became being on time. As my sons started to squabble with one another and whine for me to make another stop before going home my voice and temper began to rise.
"Remember", nudged the Holy Spirit, "it's all about holiness."
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><>
For further study and meditation, consider the following verses:
2 Corinthians 7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
Ephesians 4:20-24 But you have not so learned Christ; If so be that you have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: That you put off concerning the former way of life the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that you put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
1 Thessalonians 3:11-13 Now God himself even our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you. And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: To the end he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.
"Being responsible is good, but I've called you to more than that. I've called you to holiness."
Suddenly my sense of pride wilted like a head of lettuce left out in the hot Sun, losing all of it's glory and splendor. A couple scriptures soon came to mind.
"Be Holy, for I am holy." (1 Peter 1:15)
"Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord" (Hebrews 12:11)
As I continued on in my day with my sons, I started to meditate on this word from the Lord. I realized that God desires holiness more than anything else.
It's not that being responsible is a bad thing, of course not. As long as being responsible doesn't come in the way of being holy, then it is a wonderful thing. And that holds true for any other noble virtue.
If God has given you a good sense of humor, then use it to his glory, just as long as you don't break the greater standard, that of holiness, by telling off colored jokes.
If God has made you industrious and a good worker with your hands, then work diligently. Just don't allow pride to rob Him of glory and deplete your true calling to holiness.
If you have a very sociable personality and have no problems making friends or being a conversationalist, great! Praise the Lord for your beam of light. Just don't lose sight of holiness and become the center of your world and everyone else's attention.
A second realization came to me as I meditated on God's call to holiness. Sometimes even as Christians we forget that God's standard is much different and higher than our own human benchmark. Jesus did not come to die for "pretty good people". He came and died for sinners. At the core of the gospel is the fact that we will never measure up to God's criterion of holiness on our own, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God". (Romans 3:23)
The good news, (ie the gospel) is that through Christ, we are justified (made right) with God and by God's grace we are redeemed (accepted back) by God. The above verse goes on to say,
"being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed to demonstrate at the present time His rightousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus." Romans 3:24-26
As I consider the things that "drive" me to do what I do and say, I must ask myself this question. "Is the value that's driving me at this point in time in any way contrary or lower than God's call to holiness?" If so, I must adjust my priorities and seek God's gold standard, holiness.
After another trip to a local play center, I got my kids in the car and headed home. I realized I was running late for a meeting I had to attend. My focus and priority became being on time. As my sons started to squabble with one another and whine for me to make another stop before going home my voice and temper began to rise.
"Remember", nudged the Holy Spirit, "it's all about holiness."
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><>
For further study and meditation, consider the following verses:
2 Corinthians 7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
Ephesians 4:20-24 But you have not so learned Christ; If so be that you have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: That you put off concerning the former way of life the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that you put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
1 Thessalonians 3:11-13 Now God himself even our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you. And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: To the end he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
