Month: July 2016

Words are pictures of ideas.  We might be tempted to think some words are merely pictures of things.  But things are ideas.  One of the most endearing word ever is Mother.  Mother is an idea embracing so much more than one human.  A Car is a thing.  But the word Car fills our minds with freedom and style and places.  And so it was that John chose to begin his Gospel by calling Jesus the Word.  That name is filled with endless ideas about the greatness of God and His love for us.  John finishes his gospel by saying, “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.”  In between his introduction and his coda John calls Jesus, the light of the world, the lamb of God, the water of life, the bread of life, the good shepherd.  Each descriptor is filled with ideas. 
 
A word as simple as Mean is not so simple.  It could mean giving meaning.  It could mean being average.  It could mean being nasty and surly.  It could mean one’s intention. If I said something is awful you do not know if I mean it was horrible or so wonderful I was awed by it.  It is no wonder there is so much strife in the world.  Knowing what someone means when they use words is very challenging.  Perhaps the most sensitive task in the world is being a translator at the United Nations.  A wrong meaning could start a nuclear conflagration.
 
“In the beginning was the Word.”  God is a treasury of ideas that lead on to more ideas which lead on to more ideas.  Eternity will be an endless stream of ideas expressed in The Word.

Our granddaughter works in the very space my wife worked in thirty years ago.  My wife told her to look for the face of Jesus in the wood grain on the back of one of the doors.  This evening we received a report that the college put a mirror on the back of that door but one can still see Jesus peeking over the top.   I kind of like that.  Jesus holds up a mirror for us and if we look carefully perhaps we can see Him in our reflection.  If we see someone who cares, someone who is honest, someone who is anxious to help others then we see Him.  It is surprising how good He looks.
 
I realize there is hesitancy on our part.  We are very aware of our limitations and faults.  No one need point them out.  We know!  So we balk a bit at the idea that Jesus can be seen in us.  Paul addresses this very issue in I Corinthians 1.  He wrote, “Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.  But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.”  That’s us.  We are the not so wise, the not so influential.  However, the wonderful point is He chose us. 
 
We rarely see ourselves as others see us.  If we have a zit that is all we think people see.  Most people never notice the zit because they are blinded by our gracious care.  Or, horrors, our indifference.  It’s up to us.  We choose what they see.  Before leaving your room in the morning, take a peak in your mirror to see whose looking back.

The first thing I do every Sunday is read Blondie and The Family Circus in the funny papers.  Blondie and Dagwood have been a part of my mental family as long as I can remember.  What’s wonderful about them is they are ageless.  Alexander and Cookie have grown up but Blondie is as pretty as ever and Dagwood as goofy as ever.  I especially like Dagwood’s boss, Mr. Dithers.  And Daisy, the dog, is as spry as she was seventy years ago.  In 1960 I added The Family Circus to my Sunday morning literary habits.  Their entire family is ageless.  Unlike Alexander and Cookie, the Family Circus children are still children.  Billy, age seven, is the oldest of the children and is eternally delightful.  He has been seven for fifty-six years.  He has been better at keeping young than was Jack Benny.
 
One of the marvelous wonders of being a parent is watching one’s children grow and develop.  One of the saddest things about being a parent is watching one’s children grow and develop.  There is an ironic enigma to successful parenting.   We want them to prosper and yet one day the nest will be empty.
 
One of the advantages our heavenly Father has is His nest is never empty.  He is omnipresent and can enjoy us at His will.  However, there is the perhaps not so good thing of knowing too much about your children and their friends.  It is amazing that our heavenly Father continues to love us while knowing everything about us.  I have to conclude that His love is based not upon what we are but upon His knowledge of what we will be.  What we will be is so fantastic Paul says in Ephesians 3:20 it is more than we can imagine.  It will be that good and more.
 

The back cover of a recent Fortune Magazine has the following message.  “89% of the Fortune 100 (corporations) trust Salesforce to power their success.”  So it appears the old expression, “Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door” is not true.  You can have the best product in the world but you have to let the world know.  We frequent a local business owned by a really fine man.  Unfortunately the lady behind the cash register is surly and unpleasant.  If we did not like the owner we would never do business there.
 
Jesus is the BEST product in the world.  He offers out of this world comfort and love.  In His wisdom, (which we cannot doubt, but does make us wonder) He has given us the responsibility to be His Salesforce.  I want to say, “Oh Horrors” but, I will trust that He knows best.  Are we really better at this than angels would be?  I guess so.
 
I along with you want so very much to be a great salesperson for Jesus.  Often sales personnel are incentivized by personal rewards like higher pay or paid vacations to some far off isle.  Sometimes I hear sermons about stars in our heavenly crowns; one star for each person we brought to Jesus.  Oh, please no!  If you are like me we would spend eternity counting each other’s stars to see who was the best.  I don’t want one.  I don’t need one.  If I get one I will put it in a closet.  Our incentive is our love for Jesus.  We get eternal life.  We get redemption and forgiveness.  What possible THING could ever begin to compare.    Being like Him surely is the best way ever to be His Salesforce.

Over 50 people were murdered last weekend in Chicago.  Today over a hundred children were sexually molested and beaten.  In the last 24 hours several mothers died from cancer leaving small children behind.  Today a child was playing with a gun found at home and shot a friend.  A few minutes ago someone died in a car accident because someone was texting.
 
And Jesus prayed, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”  It becomes very clear that even Jesus’ prayers were not always answered with a “Yes.”  None of the above or a thousand other things we could add to that dismal list could be God’s will. If it were then He is not worthy of our adoration and love, but should be despised for lying to us in I John 4:8 declaring that “God is love.”
 
Surely God never has a good day.  Every day for Him is marred by what happens on earth.  This is why it is important for us to understand His primary goal is to send His only Son back again to bring all this to a meaningful conclusion.  Why He waits has to be extremely important and massively complicated as eternal philosophical issues are being processed in the minds of the intelligent creatures throughout the universe.  Sin must never happen again.  Never.
 
Of one thing we can be sure.  When He knows everyone understands the depths of evil He will come as quickly as possible.  Love demands it.  And when it happens it will be over in the twinkling of an eye.  Paul wrote, “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”  I Corinthians 15:52

One of my all-time favorite quotations is found in a biography of Jesus entitled The Desire of Ages.   Jesus and his disciples are at sea when a horrific storm overwhelms them.  Jesus is sleeping and his disciples, some of whom are experienced sailors, have lost hope.  Seeing Jesus sleeping in the nets piled in the front they cried out to Him, “Lord save us: we perish.”  Now comes my favorite quote.  “Never did a soul utter that cry unheeded.”  Page 335
 
Obviously God does not rescue all from disaster when they ask for help.  People on airplanes and ships that are going down pray and yet they die.  This must have eternal implications.  I have long believed in the benefits of death-bed conversions.  Jesus is so driven to give people eternal life He takes us anyway He can get us.  He is not picky.  If this is true and I believe it is, just like the thief on the cross they have no time to build a Christ-like character.  This leads us to understand that salvation is, was and always will be, 100% based on what Jesus did for us on the cross.
 
This does not mean once saved we need not work on character building.  See Galatians 5 for the need to use our freedom in Christ for good resulting in the fruits of the Spirit.  The result being what James says, “faith . . . if it is not accompanied by action, is dead” and what Jesus said, “By their fruits ye shall know them. (the redeemed)” Matthew 7
 
This brings me back to my above favorite quote.  Jesus hears our cries no matter how loud or muffled, how articulated or silent.  He loves us.  He wants to save us.  Oh, how surprised we will be to see who all is saved.

 We have just experienced the most perfect weather ever for a 4th of July. I am starting to believe that climate change is going to make me very rich.  I see on the national weather map the horrendous heat and vicious storms resulting from the heat and I think all the people who moved away from New England and went to Florida and Arizona will soon be moving back thus driving up housing demands and real estate prices.   Of course that does present a problem because it does not help me to have real estate prices go up unless I want to sell and move to northern Maine.  In the meantime my real estate taxes will continue to soar because of the increased value of my yard.  Climate change is going to make me poor.  Oh dear, life can be so complex!
 
Going to heaven will nullify the old expression the only two things sure in life are death and taxes.   Since there will be no death in heaven that just leaves the tax issue on our heavenly mansions.  If I fail to pay will my mansion be taken over by the city government of New Jerusalem leaving me homeless?  Perhaps being homeless in Heaven will not be so bad.  If I push my shopping basket around the golden streets will there be a really great supply of good things in your trash?  If I recycle cans I retrieve from you perhaps I can take them to the can squashing machine at the L & F?  That is the name for a universal chain of supermarkets called Loaves and Fishes.
 
As you can tell I have had way too much down time today.  Tomorrow will be better.  I promise.
 
  

I passed a real estate sign today that read, “Home For Sale.”  Really?  Do the children come with the purchase?  What about the dog?  Or maybe Mom comes with the house as a bonus!  Now if the sign read, “House For Sale” it would be more accurate.  Bricks and windows do not a home make.   I have a contractor friend who tells me he is a home builder.  No. No he isn’t.  He is a house builder.
 
One of the finest positions ever created was that of a homemaker.  I love it when someone responds to the question, “What do you do?”  and they reply, “I’m a homemaker.”  That is awesome.  That is better than any other job in the world.  Home is a wonderful place.  It is so great that 50% of airline tickets are purchased with home as the destination. 
 
In John 14 Jesus told His disciples He was going to prepare a place for them.  Please note He did not say He was going to prepare a home for them.  We are the ones who will transform His place for us into a home.  It will be the best home we have ever had.  One of the exciting things about being a Christian is preparing for the move.  Surely the most important thing we can do is get used to living with Jesus by inviting Him into our earthly homes.   He is happy to come.  He doesn’t need a 10,000 square foot mansion.  He can turn a 900 square foot residence into a mansion just because He is there.  (Any size will work.)
 
Home really is where the heart is.  It could even be a tent in the forest or a refugee camp if the right people are there.

His name was Joseph, the same as Jesus’ dad.  I wonder if his friends called him Joe?  His surname was Caiaphas and it was his misfortune to be the high priest the night Jesus was hauled in for trial.  His father-in-law was Annas, an ex-high-priest who was the real power behind the throne.  Actually, Caiaphas had been the high priest during Jesus’ entire ministry.  Jesus was a thorn in his flesh ever since Jesus was baptized by John.  Caiaphas had offered to follow John the Baptist if John would declare himself to be the Messiah.  John would not.
 
Ironically Caiaphas was a preacher of great truths.  Just after the resurrection of Lazarus he advocated killing both Jesus and Lazarus.  (You can’t kill the miracle worker and leave the miracle walking about.)   In John 11:50, “You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.”  Every time we play taps at a military cemetery we agree with Caiaphas. 
 
The next time he spoke truth was at the cross he himself had instigated.  He stood amidst the filth and stench of beaten, broken and dying bodies and said, “He saved others, but he can’t save himself!” Matthew 27:42.  He was almost right.  Actually Jesus could have saved Himself.  He could have called a host of angels to come to His side. Matthew 26:53.   (One angel would have been enough.)  But had He done so He could not have saved others.  The only way to save you and me was not to save Himself.
 
It is strange how often truth comes from mouths of one’s enemies.  Rarely would we think of Joseph Caiaphas as a preacher of truth.