Good and Evil 

The phrase "battle between good and evil" is one we have heard all our lives and it is so common we don't stop to think about it.  Is there really a battle between good and evil?  And who is fighting it?  God obviously would be fighting for the good, that leaves Satan to fight for evil, but can God ever be challenged enough to make it a battle?   

Actually, there is no battle between good and evil.  The battle is between choosing God or choosing against God.  Evil is the result and the consequences of choosing against God. 

We have this thread woven throughout scripture.  Let's take a look!  

Generational Consequences 

The 'battle' begins from the very first pages with Cain and Abel.  Cain chose against God and was banished from the very presence of God and separation from his family.  "Good" did not follow him and we know that the consequences of his actions were felt by his descendants. 

Then we have Isaac and Ishmael.  Isaac chose for God and was blessed and through him the godly  family line was continued. Ishmael chose against God and was sent into the wilderness where we know his generational line did not follow a godly one. 

Then we have Jacob and Esau.  Jacob chose God and was blessed along with his descendants after him.  Esau chose against God and he  lived a life away from God, incurring not only the disapproval of his family but of God who said He 'hated him'.  

National Consequences 

We have so many stories of kings who chose for or against God and their choices either brought peace and blessing to the nation or war and suffering. 

The example that readily comes to mind is the story of King Saul and King David.  Saul  choosing his own way instead of God's lived in mental torment and brought hardship and suffering not only to himself but to the nation.  David chose God and the nation under his rule was blessed and David's throne points to the throne of the coming King of Kings.  David's life still blesses 'God's people' through his beautiful Psalms. 

Family Consequences 

We have the story of Elimelech, who chose to flee to Moab, the country God told His people to avoid.  He lost his life there along with both of his sons and brought suffering to his wife.  The two daughters in law each made their choice.  Orpah chose against God and we never hear from her again.  Ruth chose for God and was blessed - she became the grandmother of King David and is mentioned in the lineage of Jesus. 

We also have the example of King David, when he chose against God to take Bathsheba and kill her husband.  The consequences were felt by his family and they suffered because of his sin. 

Personal Consequences 
Even  personal lives are shaped by our choice to either follow God or live in rebellion to him. We have the well known story of Abigail and Ahab.   Ahab was a wicked man who cared only for his own desires and reaped the consequences.  Abigail chose God and was blessed.  When her husband died she became King David's wife. 

We have Abraham and Lot  -Abraham chose God and was blessed in so many ways, not the least of which was having a son in his old age.   Lot while he did not out rightly reject God still made decisions that caused him to live with the consequences.  He selfishly chose the better land when given the choice by Abraham. He moved to Sodom and 'vexed his soul'  living in 'evil' cities.  He lost his daughters to Sodom men,  he was taken captive with all he had - had to be rescued by Abraham - but then he lost him home, his wife was turned into a pillar of salt and his daughters became pregnant by him. 

A Personal Example 

I worked for Eaton's for thirteen years.  It was a very good company to work for. The employees were valued and well treated.  The motto was "the customer is always right".  
Timothy Eaton who founded the department store was a strong Christian and he build his store on godly principles.  One thing he did was decree that tobacco would never be sold in his stores. He put it 'iron-clad' into the original bylaws of how the business would be run.  The business grew and prospered.  It was the only department store that operated consistently in the black.  I looked forward every year to getting the signed Christmas card from Timothy Eaton's daughter - the mother of the Eaton boys that inherited the store on their father's death. 

The business continued to thrive until the mother Eaton died, then the boys thought they could change things to suit their own ideas.  I came in one morning and to my surprise there was a new area set up with a variety of tobacco products.  I asked , "How is that possible?"  
Actually it wasn't possible.  Timothy Eaton's order was held up in court and in a few days the tobacco disappeared.  Other things began to change as well.  The 'customer was NOT always right', and the employees were no longer treated as well.   
And for the first time the department store began to slip into the red financially.  The Eaton boys tried to keep it going, making more and more changes but the farther they moved from their grandfather's godly ideals, the worse things got , until , as we remember, the stores had to close their doors.  
So sad that the Eaton's boys chose against God instead of following the example their grandfather and father set before them.  

Sometimes God's way looks difficult .... and very often our own way looks enticing, offering the very things we desire,  but God's goodness ALWAYS trumps the best we could choose or wish for ourselves.  We cannot lose when we choose God and His ways, just as we cannot win if we choose to go our own way.  There is NO GOOD outside of God's goodness, He created us and He knows exactly what we need.  To choose against Him and His will for us is to open the door to 'evil' because outside of God's goodness that is all there is. 

Little Things

 . I want to express this thought on your heart today.  YOU are important to someone simply because you are alive!!!  Just by being who you are, you make a difference in someone's life - whether you are aware of it or not !!  EVERY .... SINGLE....ONE...OF... YOU !  And of course, it goes without saying that you are important to God - If you weren't He would not have 'created you' !!  

Little things like....

The smile of a baby...

A young man holding the door for you...

A phone call, "how are you?"

A text from a grandchild...

A hug...

A sweet taste in your mouth,  the fragrance of a candle...

Little things  can make your day...

But Little things can also ruin your day...

An angry word...

Forgotten vanilla in a white cake...

A single misstep...

A dropped china cup..

Someone pulling into the parking stall you were waiting for...

And for those of us that are old enough....- Remember how embarrassing it was to discover you had a run in your stocking...or  the back seam was not perfectly straight??

We laugh today realizing it was a very little thing that should never have been allowed to be as important as we made it!!

But it is still true that often it is the little things that make or break our day! 

A Tiny Powerful Word

There is a little tiny two letter word that is perhaps a word we should be careful to pay  more attention to.

That little word is "IF".  Have you ever counted how many times you use it in a day? Or hear it? Google couldn't find anyone who had counted...BUT someone did count how many times it is used in the Bible.

1,637 times - 993 in  the OT  and 602 In the NT.

Just as a comparison the word Faith is used 336 in KJV bible - a hundred or so more times in various other translations, so what is so important about this little word ?

It is interesting to note that 'if' appears as the middle 2 letters of the word 'life'. Could it be that important as to influence our very life? Both now and for eternity?

Let's consider....

The dictionary defines the word 'if' this way...

" introducing a conditional clause or supposition that will happen should a certain event occur"

How many of you appreciate road signs when you are travelling , especially in an unfamiliar city?

That is what this little word IF has the authority and power to do - point  to instruction and direction.

Look at Deuteronomy 11:26...Here the Lord is using this little word to show His people the way to live  under blessing....or the way to live under a curse!

I John 1:6-10 - I John 2:1

I want to focus on this  passage  where the  word 'if' appears 6 times.

The first 'if' points to a 'no exit'. IF our walk does not match our talk, then we are liars living in darkness...whoa...let's not go down that street!!

But immediately following there stands another 'IF' ,this one pointing in another direction. IF we walk in the light as He is in the light it will take us down a good path - one where we have fellowship one with another and Christ' s blood cleanses us from all sin.

Good path !!  

The next  IF is pointing to another ' no-exit - if we deny that we have sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.

BUT....Have you noticed how this little word always points one way - then turns to point out another way? Showing us 2 directions we can go in?

Look at the next IF ...IF we confess our sins- own them, acknowledge them, repent., then. He is  faithful and just to forgive us AND ti cleanse us from all sin.  Our confession encounters God's just response. God is.not only willing and faithful to forgive but He forgives because He is JUST- He has bound Himself to have to forgive us because not to do so would prove His unfaithfulness.

Note that not only does He promise to forgive but also to cleanse. Do you appreciate the difference?

We attended a family picnic last weekend. It had rained  before we got there. My great-niece,  who is 3,  could not resist playing in the mud the rain had created and got dirty - mud in her hair, on her clothes.

Her mother could have simply forgiven her and the mud would have dried. But no...when we got there the mother was 'cleansing' her daughter. She came back outside with freshly washed hair and clean clothes.

Aren't you thankful Christ doesn't just leave the dried sin on our hearts, but He 'cleanses' us ?

The next  "IF" is in verse 10 where again the road-sign points to where not to go....not to lie about our sin. - unconfessed  sin clings to us and isn't pretty! 

BUT if we look for  the next IF we find it in the first verse of chapter 2 where it points to the promise that Jesus is on our side and He brings us before the Father advocating on our behalf!! What a friend we have in Jesus!!!

So....pay attention to that little word  IF when you come across it in your Bible reading. Its power and authority can be trusted to keep us safe along our life's-journey. And bring us to our final destination! 

Judgment Day

 

One day we will all stand before the Lord on judgment day to receive from Him the rewards for what we have done. II Cor. 5:10. 

I think I speak for all of us in that we fear we have not done enough or that what we have done is not good enough. 

I want to encourage you this morning.  

I remember an experience I had years and years ago!  
I was in 7th grade probably toward the end of the school year. 

One Sunday afternoon we had the house full of visitors.  Adults and kids, it was loud - our house was small. I was playing with the other kids when suddenly I remembered,  I had homework I had not done. An essay for English Literature - showing how  a certain theme  ran through one of the character's lives.  I panicked,  knowing that when the visitors finally went home it would be bedtime and Mom was very strict about bedtimes..  So, I got paper and pen and sat down at the kitchen table, distracted by the noise around me, but I got the essay written.  Relieved, I was happy that at least I had something to hand in the next day. 

On Tuesday morning we were waiting for class to begin when our teacher walked in, visibly very upset about something. 

Without any greeting he said, "I am going to read you one the essays that were handed in yesterday."

To my utter horror, as he started reading I realized it was my essay he was reading.  I was hot/cold, so embarrassed and desperately wishing my desk would sink into the floor!  

When  finally he finished reading it, he threw it on his desk and exclaimed, "Now, if ONE of you can write like that, WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THE MATTER WITH THE REST OF YOU !!"  

What? ???   He was PRAISING my essay?   

In remembering that experience I thought about how that will be the same for many of us on judgement day. 

We all  judge ourselves  according to the world's standards or expectations and compare ourselves one to another.  But I believe God judges differently. 

I let my mind drift  over the women in the Bible that are praised for something they did. 

Ruth - has a Bible book named for her - but she did nothing more than be loyal and kind in her relationships. 
Abigail - became the wife of King David -- she did nothing more than cover for a wicked husband.

Esther saved a nation -- but she did nothing other than honor and obey her cousin/uncle. 

The Shunamite woman  - whose heart desire was granted - did nothing other than be hospitable. (to Elijah) 

The widow of Zarephath - used by God to feed Elijah, as well as herself and her son  - did nothing more than be willing to feed a stranger passing by. 

Dorcas/Tabitha - raised from the dead -  did nothing more than sew clothes for widows she knew. 

Hanna -- was given her heart's desire - she did nothing more long to be a mother and was a good one. 

Mary, Martha - were hospitable - loved Jesus - and their brother was raised from the dead. 

Peter's mother - was a good cook - hospitable -- and was raised from the dead. 

The woman at the well -  all she did was share her experience - and a whole town was taught by Jesus. 

Lydia - did nothing more than gather with women to pray at the river.- she worshipped God and opened her heart to hear Paul's message, yet her name is recorded in our scriptures.

The above women all have a place of honor in the pages of our Bible but if you note , none of them did anything extraordinary.  They all just did what was in their heart and mind to do.  It wasn't something they thought about and purposefully planned out  because they thought it would please God!  

We are so performance oriented .... and believe that for something to be worthy of  praise from God it must be something difficult - something we would rather not do - something painful. 

As a parent,  is that what you wish for your children?  Do they please you only when they do something they don't want to do?  are not even suited to do?   Then why do we think that God- the perfect FAther - would expect us to do what is difficult for us to do?   Has He not created each of us, unique in our person, and placed exactly where we are suited to serve Him! 

When we one day stand before God on judgement day, trembling like I did on that school day before my teacher, we will be surprised at what God points out in our life that was praiseworthy. 

I don't think Billy Graham will be praised for his huge revival meetings, or altar calls.   It will be something much more personal, something that he didn't even realize was praiseworthy.  Something he did out of his heart because it didn't occur to him to do otherwise! 

So I encourage you today to go through your day doing what you desire to do because it gives you pleasure or fulfillment - and know that God expects or wants nothing more - or less !   

 

That Which is Not as Though It be! 

ju

Have you ever wished you could live your life backwards and avoid all the pitfalls and regretful decisions you made?  Sadly, it isn't possible of course. 

Our kitchen patio door blinds broke and we needed to get new ones.  The problem was the patio door blinds and the other 3 kitchen windows all match, so buying one new meant buying new for all four windows.  That was okay because I really wanted to get rid of the window mini blinds and was happy to have an excuse. 
We found blinds we were happy with at Home Depot and placed the order.  We were told because they were custom blinds the waiting time would be 6-8 weeks, no rush orders.  Okay, if that's the way it was, we would just 'wait'. 

The day before we left for our vacation I got a call from Home Depot to let us know the blinds had been shipped and were in transit. 

The phone call came only a few days after the order was placed and I was rather dumbfounded!  I asked the sales person on the phone when they were sent out for delivery.  He replied that he would check and came back to me saying they had been shipped on July the 29th.  After I hung up, I thought, 'something doesn't make sense' and I checked the invoice for when we placed the order ,  July 31st.  What?  Time warp?? 

When we came back home, I called Home Depot,  curious to know what was going on.  I talked to a friendly staff member and commented on their 'efficiency' after I explained my confusion.  He laughed and said he hoped that was all it was, he would get back to me.   Yes, that was the case, for some reason, our order was filled weeks before the promised date, and the 'shipping date'  had for some reason been given in error.  

I enjoyed sharing our experience regarding the 'efficiency'  of Home Depot that they could ship blinds before they were ordered and get it right!!  

But then I thought,  isn't that what God does for us all the time?  

He says in Isaiah 46:9b,10 - "I am God and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure!" 

This thought is repeated in Romans 4:17 that reads, "God who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did !!" 

God can send out for delivery what we have not yet asked for or even before we recognize a need for it!   In Isaiah 65:24 we read , "It shall come to pass that before they call, I will answer, and while they are still speaking, I will hear!" 

Why do we 'doubt' a God as amazing as our God? He knows what we will need tomorrow, or next week, or next year, or fifty years from now, and sends it out 'beforehand'.  

In the context of the Romans verse quoted above, Paul refers to the experience of Abraham.  As far as he knew, the possibility of him having a son was beyond ever happening!  It was impossible.  Yet, God declared that the 'son' was on his way and would arrive in due time!   And so it was!  

We are inundated  today by men/women, 'self-proclaimed' prophets who believe they can 'see' the future and predict what is going to happen.  Yes, some of them get some of  it right some of the time, but God gets it right every single time!  He has not ever missed, not a single detail !  

So why do we doubt??  Why do we worry and drown in our anxious thoughts?   Why don't we believe the track-record of an infallible God and rest, knowing everything is taken care of ? 

Yes, I know...  easier said than done! 

Our grand-girls used to love to go to Castle Fun Park to play the games in the arcade.  One of the games involved hitting pins with a hammer when they popped up, but they didn't stay down.  When you hit them they went down, but popped right up again.   I often think that is how our thoughts are, we see them when they form and know they are wrong -- we hit them with our 'faith-hammer' and they go down, but rarely stay down. They pop back up again if we don't stay vigilant! 

But the more we focus our thoughts and minds on God and  study His word, the more our 'trust' in Him grows  the 'pins' of doubt lose their ability to pop up again when they are knocked down. 

We can look ahead and see nothing but cause for fear to fill our hearts  for what is happening in our world - wars and rumors of wars are a reality in our world, but God said it would happen, Jesus warned us.  So if He knew what would happen and has already prepared what we will need, we have no reason to fear !  We just need to stay hidden under His wings where we are safe, and He will provide according to what He already knows we will need .

Story out of this year's Olympics in Paris. 
High Jump  Champion Gianmaro Tamkeri  had one passion and love - high jumping.  He was dedicated, pouring himself into disciplined training, preparing for the most important race of his life!  His dream was about to unfold.  He was at the Olympics in Paris, one day away from fulfilling his dream! 

  In his words, "Tomorrow at 7:00 pm the race of my life. All for one day. Everything for the moment. A little more than 24hours to the one I wish with all my heart I will remember for the rest of my life as one of the best nights ever !!!"

But, all his dreams were about to crumble. Five hours before his race he was in agony, kidney stones.  He was vomiting blood and was taken by ambulance to the hospital, where he lay as the race he had spent years training for was run without him.  Everything  - the years of training, his hopes , his dreams , his future - all crumbled at his feet. 

I feel the agony, the devastation, the loss that athletes like Kamkeri must feel , when they pour everything they have into the anticipation of one moment when everything will be won or lost.
 It's like someone who invests every dollar they have into what is presented to them as 'a sure thing' and then they find out it is a Ponzi scheme and they lose every dollar..  There is no recourse, no re-do, no way to regain what they have lost, or even redeem the time that they spent on their pursuit. 

I feel so 'helpless' for them because they must feel like they are living their worst nightmare and know they will never wake up. 

How stark a contrast this is to the child of God.  We know that when we trust Him and follow our Shepherd, even if we encounter difficulties or pain, it will NEVER be for naught, it will never leave us devastated, it will never leave us at a dead-end.  God looks ahead, has already planned the 'way-through' any difficulty to the 'good' that He has waiting for us !