2 Peter 1:4

Twitter was buzzing this week about a bus driver who was shot twice in the chest, but survived because the Bible he kept in his pocket stopped the bullets.   To read the article click here.  My first, almost instinctual, reaction was to pump my fist and Tweet the reply, "YOUR MOVE ATHEISTS!"  But then, as if minions were summoned from somewhere deep within my brain to stop me, my awareness of bad theology jumped to the foreground of my thoughts and I resisted that first impulse to Tweet something stupid.

Then, I read this morning's Bible verse and remembered how I used to carry around a pocket Bible myself.  Although, it wasn't actually a Bible, it was called a Bible Promise Book.   It was leather bound, and just the right size to slide into your pocket.  In it was page after page of Biblical quotes of God promising things to His people.   A Christian friend who had promised to pray for me through a tough time gave it to me as gift, and I decided to keep it with me, in my pocket.  I would open it and read a verse or two several times each day.  In time, this little pocket Bible of mine became a close friend and companion.  When I was down, a verse would lift me up.  When I needed a little encouragement, a verse or two would nudge me forward.  I would pray just by reading a verse and then repeating it silently.  I still have this book.  It's a precious keepsake of mine.  It helped me get through a really tough time.

Ok, so my little Bible Promises book didn't save me from bullets to the chest.  But, I can tell you that those promises from God did save my life, my soul, in ways that are too deep to describe.  That period of time for me was a crucible moment in my life.   God's promises saved me and brought me to a positive place  from which I was now confident enough in my faith to take seriously the call to ordained ministry.  As I sit here in my church office, and consider who I am today, I am thankful for those promises.

In today's Bible verse Peter says that God's promises were made so that we would be encouraged and strengthened to follow Christ.  (I'm paraphrasing slightly for simplicity sake.) To use an analogy, these promises are like a deep keel on a boat.  They keep us upright, centered on God, no matter how strong the storm may blow.

Whatever life may throw at you, from bullets to storms, God keeps his promises.  God will carry you through.  God will love you unconditionally.  God will help defeat enemies and overcome obstacles.   God is always with you.  God's promises are the rock beneath your feet some days, and wind within your sails on others.  Trust them.  Rely on them.  They will save your life.

Heavenly Father, your promises are my strength and my hope.  Thank you!

Isaiah 53.6

A popular TV evangelist tells of a time when he took a group of his followers on a guided tour of the Holy Lands.  He was their guide and teacher for this inspiring trip.  While there he wanted them to be on the look out for sheep being led by a shepherd.  Over and over he instructed them that a shepherd never drives the sheep from behind, like cattle.  The shepherd always walks in front, leading his sheep.  

As the tour bus came around a curve they looked out the window and saw a herd of sheep being driven by a man in the back of the herd.  The group saw this and questioned the pastor about his teaching.  The pastor was clearly flustered and a bit confused.  Not to be undone, he asked the bus driver to stop the bus.  He got off the bus, went over and had an extended conversation with the man driving the sheep, instead of leading them.

He returned to the bus with a triumphant smile on his face as he announced to the tourists, “He’s not the shepherd. He’s the butcher!”

Are you being led by the Shepherd, or driven by the butcher?

The butcher will push, prod, drive you away from the way God would have you go.  The butcher will take your life away, leaving you exhausted, empty and hollow inside.  

The Shepherd will lead you with love and gentleness in the way for which God created you.  The Shepherd's way will lead you to fullness of life, grace and mercy. 

Jesus is our Good Shepherd. 

And, not only does he lead us in a good way, but he also comes back to retrieve us from the butcher.

Jesus, Good Shepherd, lead me away from the butcher and along the way to life with you.  Amen. 

Psalm 37:5-6

I'm a good person...well, that's my opinion.

Do you ever feel like the world owes you something for being a good person?  It's an insidious temptation. When we feel this way, our pride kicks in and then we become vulnerable to even more destructive choices...often we don't even see the problems we're causing until it's too late.  

Righteousness is allusive.  It's not enough just to be a good person.  Is it?   Even when we think we are right and good, there is always something missing.

Here's the real test.  Ask yourself, "Would you follow you?"

Any honest assessment of ourselves should yield a big, fat, humbling "NO" to that question.

So, what do you do?

Nothing!  That's what...

Well, I guess that's not exactly true, because to do nothing is still to do something.
And, this particular something can be the most difficult thing for some of us to do.
The Bible verse for today declares that something for us.  "Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him."   It is God who brings forth our righteousness.  Not us.  We are incapable of righteousness (a.k.a. perfection).  But, God fulfills all righteousness.  In the gospel according to Matthew, when Jesus is baptized he explains to John why he must be Baptized by him.  Jesus says, "to fulfill all righteousness".  It is Jesus' mission and call to fulfill all righteousness, and that is what he does. And he does it for us!  Because we can't.

None of us is perfect.  We need someone to follow.
Jesus invites us to follow him, and he will fulfill all righteousness for us.

So, who are you following?  At the feet of whom or what do you spend your time each day?
Maybe you're glued to the 24/7 news channels, where you receive a daily education in all that's wrong with the world.  Maybe you're surrounded by negative people who complain all day, and you've taken to participating just to fit in.  Maybe, you spend much of your free time with the mindless entertainment of social media and online games.  These are popular examples of ways in which we commit our lives to negative, purposeless things that drain us of the zest for life and leave us despondent in the end.

What if, just one hour of your usual free time activity each day was set aside for genuine development of yourself, possibly a Scripture-based devotion, or an exercise routine, or something...anything?  Don't you think you could stop following the direction of FOX or CNN for one hour to let God inspire your direction?  Don't you think you could ignore those negative friends, to hear the positive inspiration of the Holy Spirit in prayer?  Don't you think it would be much more edifying to you and your life if one hour of FB, or Candy Crush was given up to seeking a little instruction in life from a godly-inspired motivational book, or podcast?

The Psalm exhorts us to commit our way to the Lord and trust in Him.
I suppose, since you're reading this, you're already doing that.   Carry on...  :-)

Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of your grace.  Help me to follow you, and keep me encouraged to seek out your inspiring, positive guidance in Scripture, prayer, and the helpful words of others.  In Jesus' name.  Amen

Lamentations 3:22-23

Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with thee;
Thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not;
As thou hast been, thou forever wilt be.
Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed thy hand hath provided;
Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

I have always been able to count on my parents for help.  It never really mattered what kind of trouble I might get myself into they were always available, accessible, and willing to help.  Sometimes the bigger problem was bringing myself to the point of swallowing my pride to ask them for help.  Once, I think I was about 19 years old, my car broke down on my way to college.  I was hours from home, and in the middle of nowhere with nothing but the West Virginia mountains all around.  I was scared, unsure of myself or what to do.  So, I did what came naturally, what I would always do when I was in trouble.  I walked a few miles to the next exit off the highway (wow, cell phones have changed the world since then.), found a pay phone and called home.  I'll never forget how comforting it felt to hear my dad say, "Son, your mom and I are on our way."  

The lyrics of the beloved hymn Great Is Thy Faithfulness were written by Thomas Chisholm in 1923. 

For a brief time Chisholm served as a Methodist minister, but was forced to retire early due to ill health.  When he penned these inspiring words he was in trouble.  He was very ill. Echoing Lamentations 3:22-23 he wrote the lyrics that have ever since reminded us, each time we sing it, that we have a Heavenly Father in whom we can always count on for help.  God is always accessible, and our Heavenly Father comforts us with His promise to be there with us each time we pray.  

Heavenly Father, your faithfulness never fails me.  Help me to be faithful to my family, with your faithfulness as my guide.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

 Click the link below to read more about the history of this hymn.

History of Hymns | GBOD | Equipping World-Changing Disciples

Acts 1:24

In my observation of the human condition we are masters at making excuses for ourselves.  Instead of taking responsibility for our own lives, we come up with all sorts of reasons why we are unable to do so.   From "the dog ate my homework" to "the traffic", "the weather", "bad luck", "the other person" the list goes on and on.  Instead of taking responsibility, we make excuses.  The sad truth is that often we even convince ourselves that these little lies are true.  We actually believe that there are all of these factors working against us, holding us back, prohibiting us from achieving success in life.  Instead of taking responsibility for our own lives, our own choices, we act like victims of forces out of our control.   Here are a few common excuses:

"I don't have time."
We all have the same amount of time each day, week, year.  The difference between those who take responsibility and those who don't is a matter of prioritizing and scheduling.

"I don't have money."
If you were to actually record every penny spent every day for one month, you would begin to recognize how much money gets wasted on things that are of little consequence.  Even just that $4 coffee here and there can add up to $20-$30/month.  In just one month, I am willing to guarantee, you would be able to look at your money differently if you would take full responsibility for where it goes.  A savings of just $20-$30 every month can be the difference between feeling trapped by your own excuse and realizing the freedom of being responsible.

"I have bad luck"
Let me break the news to you--there is no such thing as bad luck.  Personally, I don't believe in luck.  But, if you do, then there is only one kind of luck--good luck, and we all have it.  If you live in the U.S. you are lucky.  If you have a warm place to live, plenty of food, clothing then you are lucky.  If you have family or friends to rely on for support then you are lucky.  If you are reading this message on a computer hooked into the internet, you are lucky.  Count your blessings.  If you are truly going to put your faith in a completely random force within the universe then take an honest assessment, you are very lucky.  The difference between those who take responsibility and those who don't is that those who do make better choices with the "luck" they've received.

Those are common excuses, and the list goes on and on.

But, here's the truth we all need to hear: God isn't buying it!
God doesn't believe your excuses.  God knows the hearts of all of us.
And, has called you through the waters of your Baptism, and given you gifts of the Holy Spirit, to take responsibility for your life.  He has given you his Son, Jesus, as the model for the godly life.  "Follow him!", is the command that echos from the gospels.  God has given you life, and a multitude of blessings.  He knows what is in your heart.  He knows that right alongside the excuses you make, is also the desire to succeed.  So, every day, every moment, God's forgiveness offers you the freedom to begin again.  God's promise is life in its fullest, the abundance of life!  God has already chosen you, now it's your turn to make the choices you need to take back responsibility of the life that God has given you.

The difference between excuses and responsibility is the difference between success and failure, bondage and freedom, heaven and hell.  By making even one small choice to do just one little thing differently every day you could make a dramatic improvement in your life.  Taking more responsibility in areas where you used to make excuses is life-changing---even if you just start small.

Is today the day you begin again?  Is today the day you get honest with yourself and realize the excuses that are holding you back?
I hope so.

Heavenly Father, you know what's in my heart.  You know the excuses I make.  Forgive me.  Help me to take full responsibility for the life you have given me.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.