Category Archives: Just a Thought

In just a few short days, summer vacation will be over.  The kids played all summer, some of them worked hard, and others traveled to camps and on vacation.  For the first time in two months, the teenagers will wake up before lunch and children that arose early all summer will find it difficult to wake up for school.  As school starts, we encourage them and help them do their best.  Why do we do this?  Why do we desire our kids to learn and why do we urge them to do their best?  I want to give you two reasons for both students and teacher.  First, learning is a gift from God.  Second, everything we do, we do it for the glory of God.

I know there are some that view learning as torture, but it is a gift.  Even Jesus grew in wisdom and stature (Luke 2:52).  He learned to walk, learned to speak, and learned skills.  In John 7:15, the Jews wondered how it was possible that Jesus could teach the things he did because they thought he was “unlearned.”  Your mind was designed to think and be used for the glory of God.  In Philippians 4:8 we are told to think about things that are worthy.  Thinking implies learning.  It is something we were created to do.  Yes, these thoughts are to be centered on God, but they also include learning about God’s creation, communicating with each other, creative thinking, problem-solving skills, and hard work.  Learning is essential, and we encourage our children to do so, but it should also be an activity that we participate in as adults.  We should all be learning.

Second, whether students or teachers this task is given to us to glorify God.  This was the message of Paul in Colossians 3:17, “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”  When we teach, and when we learn, it is a moment given to us by God to do for his glory.  That means if you teach, teach because you are representing God as you work.  If you are the student, learn and do good work because you are serving God in the process.  He deserves our best; therefore, we give him our best.

I encourage you as students, teachers, and lifelong teacher-students to develop the mind you were given by God and to do so for his glory.  Do your best for his namesake.  It is a gift and a task to which he called you.

Nostalgia is a gift from God because it takes us to a place where we remember the love and grace of God in the past.  I love to visit old general stores because the things they offer and the smell of the candy take me back to wonderful memories of trips with my grandparents.  This aspect of mind is a gift, and it is okay for us to delight in those memories as long as they do not distract us from what God desires us to do now.

The memory of salvation history was essential to the Israelites.  In fact, they were told to continually teach the mighty works of God to their children and descendants.  There were times when they failed to do this, but in the days of Jesus, the Pharisees, Sadducees, and scribes knew the accounts of Moses, Abraham, Elijah, and Elijah.  They knew to be looking for a Messiah and that God was going to bring salvation to his people.  We see this in the salvation history of Israel that Stephen shared in Acts 7.

In this passage, Stephen recounted the ways God worked through his people in the Old Testament by reminding them of the great works of God to the Jewish leaders. This group was so focused on how God worked in the past that they could not see God’s hand in the present.  In Acts 7, those listening to the message of Stephen rejected the present gift of God and killed Stephen.

Nostalgia and memory are gifts from God, but just like every good gift, Satan can distort and use it to keep us from experiencing God’s desire in the present and hope for the future.  We are told in Psalm 118:24, “This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”  This verse speaks explicitly of the day Christ will grant salvation through his death, burial, and resurrection.  It is important to note that this was the exact event the Jewish leaders were missing because of reveling in the past.  They delighted in the past to the point they were blinded in the present.

Today is a gift from God designed for you to know him more intimately, but it can be missed because of two things: focusing on the past or worrying about the future.  Worry is a subject for another time, but know that God has a more excellent knowledge of himself to reveal to you today.  This idea alone makes today better than any other day.  Don’t let your focus on the past rob you of seeing God’s gift in the present.

There are sins that we are comfortable with, and there are sins that we think are horrible.  There is no clear line between the two, and often each person is different depending on the way they were raised.  Though everyone is subject to this trap, very few believers readily admit that sin, in general, is okay, yet they may try to justify specific sin.  On the other side a believer may view particular sin as so awful it is unredeemable.  Both of these are wrong.

First, there is no excuse for sin, but there is forgiveness.  Often, we use reason to justify or validate the sin in which we participate.  We gossip under the guise of caring conversation, or we lie admitting in our hearts that it was what was best at the time.  Keep in mind that God is truth and God is love.  Each of these sins and all sin for that matter are contrary to the nature and desire of God.  Therefore, we should want nothing to do with them or any other sin.  Furthermore, we must make sure our speech does not condone sin.

Second, no sin is unredeemable.  As you read this, some of you thought in your mind, “What about blaspheme of the Holy Spirit?”  That is an in-depth topic for another time, but let me assure you, most of the sin that we treat as unredeemable does not fall into this area.  You may not honestly believe in your heart that it is unredeemable, but you may talk about the sin and the people participating as though it is.

I want to share a verse with you, Psalms 34:13, “Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit.”  This is a verse we could unpack forever.  But please understand this truth: Our mouths are to have no part in justifying sin, nor are they to have any role in lessening the redemptive power of Jesus Christ.  Both these actions are participating in evil and speaking deceit.

This is a lofty task, but I put before you there is a more practical solution than merely abstaining from these activities.  For this we go to Psalms 34:1, “I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.”  This solution is just to use our lips for the purpose God designed, his praise.  Our simple, daily question is this: Does my speech praise God?  Does it affirm God’s holiness and love?  Use this to evaluate your conversations throughout the day and see what happens.

A few weeks ago, my wife went to a women’s conference in Indianapolis with a friend.  For those of you that don’t know, I have four great kids, but this trip left me to be a “single” parent for those four days.  We survived, and everything went well.  People in the church helped me as there were a few emergencies that needed my attention, but I want to tell you one thing.  If you are a single parent, you have a very tough job.  In reality, you are the only income, and you work hours to support your children and then work hours at home.  You get little sleep and little time for yourself.  I do not know what life events led you to your current situation, and honestly, it doesn’t matter.  I want to share with you the story of the Bible’s first “single parent.”

Many know the account of Abraham and his son Isaac, but Abraham had another son, Ishmael.  When Abraham’s wife, Sarah, could not have a child, she gave him her servant Hagar.  This sounds ridiculous to us today (and it should because it was not the right thing to do).  Nonetheless, Hagar gave birth to a son and named him Ishmael.  This created resentment in the heart of Sarah, and she treated Hagar horribly.

What’s the point?  In Genesis 21, Hagar is forced to leave.  Sin has led to sin, and now she finds herself in the wilderness (aka the desert) with no water and no food.  What is Hagar going to do?  She sets Ishmael down and walks a bit farther so that she does not have to watch her son die.  In the depths of this despairing moment, God speaks to her.  This wasn’t the first time.  In chapter 16, she fled because of her mistreatment by Sarah.  During this time, she learned that God sees her pain and is with her.  As she awaits the death of her son in chapter 21, God sees her again.  She places her faith in God, and he takes care of her and Ishmael.

If you are a single parent, I want you to know that God sees your pain and struggle.  He knows what led to this situation and he cares about you.  If you will lean into him and place your trust in him, he will give you the strength you need.  I wish I could tell you things will get easier, but they might not.  However, this I can promise you: if you surrender your situation to him and seek him with all your heart, he will give you the strength you need.

Have you ever had doubts?  I know many things in life are accompanied by uncertainty.  “Will I be or am I a good parent?”  “Does ______ really love me?”  “Is this the job opportunity I am supposed to take?”  “Did I make the right decision?”  These are all doubts that most of us understand.  They all seem to revolve around significant decisions in life.  Most churches reach out to people in times of these struggles hoping to direct them to seek God.  We are comfortable with these types of doubt.

However, it seems that when it comes to doubts about the faith, we may criticize some for their struggles or tell them they just need to have more faith.  It reminds me of the way we treat Thomas, the disciple.  You have heard of him, but probably by the name of doubting Thomas.  In John 20:25 he makes a statement that follows him into the current day, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”  That one statement of doubt branded him for life.

I want to share one other passage where Thomas is mentioned and makes a profound statement of faithful devotion.  In John 11, Jesus gets word that Lazarus has died.  To travel back to see the family, and ultimately bring Lazarus back to life, Jesus has to return to Judea where the Jews want to kill Jesus.  The disciples did not want him to go.   However, in this familiar account, we have an unfamiliar statement made by Thomas, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”  What a faithful comment by the man known as doubting Thomas.

Everyone has doubts, even the faithful.  In fact, doubts can show a spiritual struggle that gives birth to greater faith.  It is okay to have questions, and it is okay to ask them.  Faithful Thomas doubted the resurrection of Christ and many faithful Christians have doubts about their faith, the Bible, God, and the church at times.  I want to encourage you to keep the faith and seek God for the answers.

You may never find answers to some of your questions, and there may be things you have to accept by faith and faith alone.  This is a reality, but if you seek God and look in the right places, many of the questions that have been avoided by some in the church, have been answered by others.  Keep searching, keep asking, and keep wanting to know more.