Month: December 2020

Rowdy children are great fun when they belong to someone else.  Such it was this weekend.  We were walking behind a couple with a preadolescent boy who was giving them a bad time.  I have to admit I was enjoying the show.  Finally the man turned to us and said, “He’s not mine!”   Maybe that was one of the reasons the boy was acting up.  He wasn’t loved enough for the man to take responsibility for him.

That is one of the most wonderful parts of the Gospel.  No matter how bad we are God never quits caring about us.  When Adam and Eve shattered God’s plan for Earth it would have been so easy for God to just wash His hands of them and say, “They aren’t mine.”  But they were His.  Never once did He contemplate proclaiming them to be on their own.

This is no license for bad behavior on our part that is unless we are preadolescent.  We can’t just walk around abusing His grace and care.  In Galatians 5 Paul talks about walking in freedom and warns us not to use that freedom to abuse ourselves and others.  So much of being a Christian is being a grownup.  When we are no longer preadolescent we should understand responsibility and respect.  We respect others and we respect ourselves. We don’t do harmful things.  We want to be like our Jesus and since He does not harm neither will we.  It’s not about obeying a set of laws.  It’s all about understanding the principles of the laws and being a respectful grownup with the confidence that our heavenly Father will never turn to the universe and say, “They aren’t mine.”

Written by Roger Bothwell on December 6, 2011

Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

Rogerbothwell.org

 

We went to dinner this evening with two of the most wonderful people in the world.  Honest, caring people.  We have known them for eighteen years and the only thing wrong with the relationship is we don’t share enough time with them.  They are the parents of four sons.  One of those sons gave me the opportunity to solemnize his wedding.  It was a grand occasion. Smart fellow – he married a teacher.  What more can I say about that?  One of the saddest days of my life was when I spoke at one of their son’s funeral.  I still feel the pain as I write.  There is nothing more meaningful than to have friends and be with them at the high moments of life and during the lowest.  Friends are for laughing and crying; thankfully more laughing.

Isn’t it grand to have friends?  However, there is a sweet sorrow as the years pass.  We watch each other wrinkle and gray.  We know if it wasn’t for Jesus those friends will be gone someday.  But, we can be so thankful in knowing that in Jesus friendships will never end.  We will have dinner again and again as the millenniums roll by and how sweet it will be. There will be no graying or wrinkling.  If anything we will keep looking better and better.

Jesus is our Friend.  He said so and He never lies. He wants to have dinner with us. In eternity there is time for everything and that means each of us can have Jesus Himself home for dinner. Oh the stories we will tell.  He will get to fill in details of things we did; details we had no clue about.  Eternal friendships – that is what eternity is all about.

Written by Roger Bothwell on December 9, 2011

Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

Rogerbothwell.org

 

We received a Christmas box from some very special friends.  Now I have a dilemma.  Do I or do I not have the self-discipline to wait until Christmas before opening it?  There it sits on the kitchen counter taunting me.  Each time I pass by it whispers, “Hey, I’m here.  I have goodies inside.  Come on.  You don’t have to tell your friends you opened it.  They live in Florida.  They won’t know.”   My wife doesn’t help.  She opines that there might be something perishable in that box and to delay wouldn’t be a good idea.   However, there is something to be said for waiting.  This could be an exercise in character development.   But then again at my age do I really need to build any more character?   Perhaps I could excuse myself by asserting at my age the end could come at any moment and if I wait I might never know the contents.  Then there is the issue of thanks.  If I open it now I can express my thanks to my friends prior to the time when they will be inundated with thanks from others.   I don’t want my thanks to be lost in the volume.

One of the wonders Jesus wanted us to understand is that His gift to us does not have to wait until some future time.  He wants us to experience the joy and benefits now.  Note John 5:24.  “He that hears my word, and believes on him that sent me, has everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”  Eternity begins the moment we accept His gracious offer made possible by His sacrifice.  The gift is now.  The fruit of the gift is forever.

Written by Roger Bothwell on December 8, 2011

Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

Rogerbothwell.org

 

When I was small the people in my church used to ask each other, “How long have you been in the Truth.”  It was understood that to be a member meant you knew what the Bible taught, what life was about, what God expected of us and what we had to do to please God.  One day two young men knocked on our door and as I sat and listened to their fervency it was as if I was looking in a mirror.  Members from another group knocked on my door and once again as I took their pamphlet I was looking in a mirror.  While we were living in Uganda a pope visited for the purpose of solemnizing a place where both Anglican and Catholic Ugandans were burned alive in lieu of renouncing their faith.  Each group, including mine, has a worldview they (we) believe is consistent with Scripture.  And yet each group is distinctively unique.

There is a certain kind of spiritual and intellectual arrogance in thinking our worldview is “The Truth.”  One of the great lessons of Balaam is that God has His people in many places.  The Children of Israel did not have a monopoly on God’s concern and revelation.  Jesus once said, “Herein will men know you are my disciples that you love one another.”  Strange that not one hint of doctrine appears in that command. (Or was it an observation?) Perhaps the important issue is not one’s worldview as much as one’s loyalty, faithfulness and commitment to their worldview.  Jesus also told us to put our hand to the plow and not look back.  Is not His appeal to us to commit with all our hearts and all of our talents?  Surely in His house there are many mansions.  John 14.

Written by Roger Bothwell on December 7, 2011

Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

Rogerbothwell.org

 

Parents all over the land are thinking about what they are going to give their children for Christmas.  Children all over the land are wishing for something special.  Toy-makers and electronic manufacturers are hoping their product will be the selected item. Some parents will mistakenly go into debt to buy some new gaming device or such thinking it is wise to do so.  Errantly they believe by doing so they can gain the approval and love of their child.

While it is nice to give something desired to one’s child the greatest gift of all is something only the rarest of children would ever think to put on their wish list.  The greatest treasure anyone can bestow on a child is to model tenderness, love, justice and long-suffering.  The child who receives these has gained a gift that is more precious than any device or toy that will, by next year, be antiqued by a newer model.   The child, who is taught by example to trust, will learn that his or her heavenly Father will never fail them.  They will always know that to do the right thing is to do the best thing.  They will receive that which will last forever, because nothing can ever make virtuous character traits obsolete.  They were in style a thousand years ago and will be in style a million years hence.

When such a child matures and lays their parents to rest waiting for resurrection morning, he or she will know they have been blessed and will seek the same for their children.  Surety of their coming family reunion by the river of life written of in Revelation 22 will then be the best gift ever.

Written by Roger Bothwell on December 4, 2009

Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

Rogerbothwell.org

 

I came home tonight to discover water coming out of the kitchen ceiling.  I can assure you it was not showers of blessings. I had visions of tearing out the ceiling and remortgaging the house to get a plumber here after hours. Then my wife came home and instantly said, “Oh, I know what is wrong” as she headed upstairs.  She knew!  She fixed it.  I am one lucky man.  (She even likes football!)  A few towels and a bucket had us back in order.  On reconsideration of life professions I should have been a plumber.

It was a seriously leaking valve.  I knew it wasn’t showers of blessings because God doesn’t leak good things on us.  He is prodigal.  God is a big spender.  He can be.  He has unlimited assets. When He promises He comes through.  “I will bless them and the places surrounding my hill. I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing.” Ezekiel 34:26.   Note that the showers will come in season.  They will come when we are ready for them.  There is no point in giving a five-year-old a new car or an eighty-five-year-old a Harley.  When the time is exactly right He will see to it that we are cared for.

What is great is He knows exactly what to give.  We are Christmas shopping for our grandchildren.  That is not easy.  We don’t know what they are tuned into.  In Macy’s today there were pictures of Macy’s Stars all over the place.  I assume the grandchildren would have known.  I have no idea who those people were.  Stars?  Really?  They could have been people that worked in Macy’s accounting department for all I knew.  But the Good News is we have a Father who knows all.

Written by Roger Bothwell on December 4, 2012

Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

Rogerbothwel.org

 

Satisfaction is defined in the dictionary as “the feeling of pleasure that comes when a need or desire is fulfilled.”  Millions of us pushed back from our Thanksgiving table with satisfaction. One of the cooks probably said, “How about another piece of pumpkin pie?”  And we said, “Oh my, no.  One more bite and I will explode.”  As a pastor who has conducted many weddings I got close-up views of many satisfied faces.  Sometimes it was the groom, sometimes the bride and best of all sometimes both of them.

There is an interesting story in John 4.  Jesus’ disciples had gone to buy food.  But upon their return Jesus was no longer hungry.  They asked, “Where did you get meat?” And He responded, “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work.”  He was so satisfied by sharing eternity with the Samaritan woman His physical hunger was abated.

One of my favorite authors in describing our redemption wrote, “Then Jesus looked upon His redeemed saints; their countenances were radiant with glory; as He fixed His loving eyes upon them He said, ‘I behold the travail of my soul, and I am satisfied.  This rich glory is yours to enjoy eternally.’”

In order to be satisfied one has to begin with a need.  And what is Jesus’ need?  His need is the need of a parent longing for his child to be healthy and safe.  It can be a strange idea to ponder the Creator of the Universe needing something.  He needs you.  He made you with incredible freedom to respond or not to respond to His love.  He needs us to give Him permission to save us.  When we say “yes” He is satisfied.  The cross was worth it.

Written by Roger Bothwell on December 1, 2012

Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

Rogerbothwell,org

 

Part of being a teacher is writing many letters of recommendation for my students.  There are letters for employment opportunities, letters to get into grad school and letters for practicums.  Sometimes because of the details that need to be just right, I ask the student to write the letter and send it to me for my approval and signature.

This evening I wondered what it would be like if we needed a letter of recommendation to get into heaven.  Who would we ask?   Mark Twain once said we should have our enemies write our letters of recommendation because they are the only ones who would tell the truth about us.  Our friends put icing on the cake.

There is no question that our greatest foe, Satan, would only have to tell the truth.  It would be one occasion when he need not tell a lie.  The truth is damming enough.  I grew up singing the song, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.”   I cannot imagine that if Jesus would write a letter for us that He would ice the cake.   He will tell the truth.  We are not worthy.  But then comes the good part.  He is worthy to recommend us because He is worthy to give us eternal life.  We get to live because He, our very best Friend who always tells the truth, vouches for us.  The word “vouch” means to provide supporting evidence for the quality of somebody or something.  He has kept careful record so He can show evidence that we trust Him.  He has the data.  He has the evidence.  That’s what those books are for.

If we need a letter He will write it and He will sign it.

Written by Roger Bothwell on December 2, 2011

Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

Rogerbothwell.org

 

Over and over I hear people telling others to just be themselves.  I’m not sure that is good advice.  Maybe I am misinterpreting what that means but it seems like we are telling people to be content with who they are and not to strive to be someone better.  Frankly I don’t want to be me.  There is no challenge in being me.  I’m already me.  I want to be better.  I want to be a better teacher, a better father, a better husband, a better grandfather.  It is too easy to be me.

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus challenges us to reach beyond what we are.  He said, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”  Matthew 5:48.  Talk about reaching for the stars!  That verse used to discourage me because I confused it with a requirement for salvation.  I wanted to give up right then and there.  But I was confused.  This text is not about salvation.  Salvation is a gift.   This challenge is all about personal growth.  This is about goal setting and being all that we can be.  This is Jesus saying, “I will save you.  Now, with your hand on the plow, don’t look back.  Set your eyes on being the best ever you.”

If you are a carpenter, be the best carpenter ever.  If you are a mechanic, a farmer, a secretary or a sales clerk, whatever you are, be the best ever.  If you are, I promise you there will be some people who will hate you for it.  Some people want everyone to be mediocre.  Ignore those people because the rest of the world and heaven will rejoice in the new you.

Written by Roger Bothwell on December 1, 2011

Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

Rogerbothwell.org