Daily Devotional

What Does a Lost Sheep Offer?

2012-01-30T05:59:00.001-08:00

Good Monday morning! Time to start the week again with a shout of joy to the Lord! Do you really mean to say that you did not arrive at work with a shout of joy this morning? Perhaps you are doing the wrong work, or, maybe you thought that you would get up and offer to do something for God today. From time to time, I may find in myself a tendency to offer God something. As though I am in a position to offer the Lord a favor or give to Him something that He does not already have. If I came to the cross to offer my all to the Savior, what is there left to give? And why is it that I think there is something I can do that the Lord cannot do for Himself far better? I suppose this thing comes from the constant admonition to serve the Lord. We must be about serving the Lord. We must offer our service to the Lord. After we hear statements like this enough, it is easier to understand how we can get our relationship to Almighty Providence a bit backwards. Truly there is nothing that I can do that the Lord cannot accomplish Himself better, faster, and with less waste. Most of the time, I cannot even claim to be a very good servant.

Selfishness, envy, and strife tend to cloud my service. What the Lord could do perfectly for Himself, I do imperfectly and I need His help to finish. With an eye toward a reward, I put myself into a task knowing that God has given me far more than I deserve already. In time, I come to wonder why God allows me a part in His kingdom at all. Even among my fellow humans there is surely a better servant than myself. But that isn't the right answer either, because God allows each of us a special part in His Church. When we look to our Lord Jesus, all of us come up short. I guess that once more it all comes down to God's great love for us.

There is nothing that I can do that God can not do better. And everything that I do, I must do in Christ who strengthens me. The point is not to try doing something for God, but to be available for God to work through me. Sometimes I come before God thinking that I have something to offer, but what can a lost sheep offer the shepherd except more work in finding and bringing back to the fold that same lost sheep?

Praise God for His love and providence!
Bucky

Expect a Delightful Surprise

2012-01-27T06:54:00.001-08:00

Good Friday morning! When in the course of human events it becomes necessary to allow Simon the Pomeranian on your lap, not to worry. Simon is not much more than a small poof of black fuzz with a couple of ears tossed in for good measure. Walking around in this big world trying to serve our Lord, we may not feel like much more than a footnote in human history, if that. How do I affect the trends of the world with my little voice. Especially given that my two cats don't often listen to me, much less the entire world. Praise the Lord, it may not be my job to shove the world an inch out of its orbit. In fact, I'm sure that God would prefer that I follow His plan, and walk in His footsteps, as He leads me along the narrow way that He has laid out for me in this life. Do I always see the footsteps ahead? No, that is where faith comes in.

I can make a good guess about what I may do tomorrow, but the smallest thing can change those plans utterly. One day I came home from a long trip for a certain employer, and I looked forward to a bit of a rest. Alas, the water heater in the apartment had rusted through the bottom and mold up to an inch high could be seen on the carpet and walls. My apartment reminded me a lot of a swamp I had come to know back in my Marine days. My plans and guesses about the weekend suddenly changed. We don't know what may or may not happen tomorrow. As Paul says, we see as in a poor mirror. Hebrews 11:1, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (NKJV) If you must see for yourself like Thomas, you are not waiting on the Lord in faith. Thus, we cannot see or feel the substance of those things we hope for in Christ. Sound difficult? Yeah, it does to me too. When God says that He will provide for me and I look around and see no evidence or substance of this in the future, I get kind of scared.

Of course, I just went over the bit about how we cannot see tomorrow, and how things can change suddenly, and what faith is... and why do I think that God is going to provide evidence and substance that I can see anyway? If God handed us the master plan for life at birth, would we need faith to walk those steps? Hardly! Instead, we thank God for today, and we walk this day in faith for we cannot even see what the next hour will bring with absolute certainty. I can make plans for the day, and ask God to lead me in the making of those plans, but He may have a delightful surprise for me too! Yes, I do mean 'delightful'. For what reason do we always seem to think the next surprise in life is going to be dreadful?

Trust in God; live in Christ!
Bucky

Share Some More

2012-01-26T06:34:00.001-08:00

Good Thursday morning! What gives you joy? Many things can give a moment's pleasure. We can wish for other things that might seem to give the answer to our search for lasting happiness. There are more entertainment options in the world today than ever before and they can be imported almost instantly over the Internet or satellite from all over the world. But do any of them give us joy. Not just a little joy or happiness, but a lifelong abiding joy that is there even when we are hurting. I can always turn to God's word to find my joy again should I ever lose sight of it.

We enjoy many convenient ways to access the Bible these days. Could it be that God knows our time is short and that the Word is needed now more than ever? Send out the Word, one verse at a time if necessary, to your friends on social media. Give the Word as a gift in all of the formats we enjoy today. God has promised that His Word will not return to Him empty. That gives me joy in that I am never wasting my time by sending out a devotional, or blogging, or handing over a CD of the Bible as a gift, or using the many other ways we have to send some Good News to others. God's joy is one of those things that grows with sharing.

As a kid, if you shared your toys, you soon had less of them to play with. We didn't want to share. Imagine that same kid sharing and sharing, but instead of growing less that pile of toys grows each time he shares with another child. Inconceivable! Yet, the more we share God's Word, joy, love, peace, patience, kindness, and self-control, the more we have in our own lives. Amazing! I want more of the fruit of the Spirit, time for me to share and share some more!

Have a wonderful and sharing day in Christ,
Bucky

A Reason to Praise

2012-01-25T06:26:00.000-08:00

Good Wednesday morning! Today the negative emotions are close to the surface. Anger, sadness, worry, hopelessness and the other members of that foul gang are right here ready to burst forth in an orgy of self-destructive thinking and complaining. We all have mornings or evening like that. Maybe not enough good sleep is the reason, perhaps something is bothering that God has not answered yet, or it might have something to do with the State of the Union speech and rebuttal last night. Whatever the reason we get up ready to be grumbly hateful and not humbly grateful as we know we ought to be. Today is one of those days with every reason to praise the Lord!

What? Praise? I feel like today is at best one of those days for that supplication thing, and we'll see about the the thanksgiving later. Nope, the very last thing said by the psalms is, "Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD!" What a way to sign off. What a great way to end the psalms! There are no exceptions for using our breath to grumble and complain. Only the command to praise the Lord, at least if you have breath that is. On a day when we feel most like putting our hands together for some serious whining to the Lord, there is one great reason to lift our hands and praise the Lord. That reason? Well, that reason is the Lord.

I may feel poorly for one reason or another, but the Lord in His Heaven has not changed for the worse. God is not looking down upon me or you with less love than He had yesterday. The promises of the Lord do not fall apart just because I feel like I am falling apart. The provision of the Lord does not stop because I feel empty. In fact, once you or me gets emptied out, then we are ready to receive even more of the Lord's providence! You know, I never thought of it that way until now. At a time when I am most tempted to take inventory every moment, the thought occurs that it is when our lives get emptied out that the Lord can pour the most in. At the time when you or I might seem to have the most to complain about, we are just getting ready to receive the overflowing cup from God. Trust is my word for the year, and trust comes to mind when the Lord says, "Trust in Me!"

Yes, the men speechifying the speeches and the talking heads with their criticisms may just get you down, but remember that God has not changed. The state of the union or the state of the world may be reason to moan, but God is still sovereign over all.

Have a better day in Jesus!
Bucky

Rejoice In It

2012-01-24T06:39:00.001-08:00

Good Tuesday morning! Fear not tomorrow, fret not over yesterday, today is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. Sleepy, slow, and places to go, some days the body charging station in the bedroom just doesn't work the way it is supposed to. The cat or dog is ready to be fed an hour before our arrival. The kids (if any) are up and making noise, or at least something is making noise out there and we hope it's the kids. If it's a burglar, maybe he will be kind enough to get the kids off to school before he takes everything of value. Come to think of it, there is nothing of value left unbroken, so it must be the kids. Groan. The morning is off to a poor start and the to-do list for the day is not getting shorter. Yet, the Bible verse calls for rejoicing and getting glad in it. Wow, how does one go about getting glad in it when it has you so down already?

We all have those days when we get up feeling like anything but rejoicing or glad. The stress of yesterday stomped us into the ground and then sat on top of us all night long. The stress of today gives the stress of yesterday a high five and swaps places in a dreadful sort of stress tag team. Tomorrow's stress is already jumping around in eager anticipation of its turn on top. And from the pages of the Bible, Jesus calls out, "Come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Something in all of that stress makes us ignore this call. We go around thinking that if we can but make it to the next long weekend, the next vacation, or some other 'next', then we will be able to get back on track and re energized. That next never happens and the call of Jesus to come to Him is still open to those who will believe. And even those who do believe must take the reminder of the Holy Spirit and come to Jesus for rest.

Daily we return to the Word. The Bible is not a Sunday-only kind of thing. Prayer alone with Jesus is not just for the really tough times, but for all times. The comfort of the Spirit is not just for times of pain, but for all times in this world. Trust, faith, and hope are all in Jesus and all require daily prayer and Bible reading to remain strong and effective. Take the step of faith, come to Jesus today, and then let us rejoice and be glad in it!

Bucky

Psalmier Mondays!

2012-01-23T06:40:00.000-08:00

Good Monday morning! I know you have said it before... there is no way the happy, joyful psalms were written on a Monday morning. Perhaps you have forgotten that their week began on our Sunday. Or you don't think they had the modern corporate office to deal with back in the psalmier days. Maybe David asked why his soul was cast down one cloudy Sunday morning upon seeing a line of petitioners before the throne room already two miles long before breakfast. Maybe King David groaned to God for relief upon seeing a Levite headed for the gates with a stack of papyrus more than 2 cubits high in his little levitical wagon. Surely not more regulations from the priests! Right we only have problems today, maybe they didn't even have levitical wagons back then. The psalms have all been written because we don't have psalmy days any more. The world is just too depressed to sing a happy song! How wrong we are.

I find a great deal of amusement when references are made to how simple everyone was back in the day. Perhaps the lack of education in the Dark Ages did produce a lot of illiterate peasants. Spending every day searching for something to eat might take away a person's appetite for the study of higher mathematics or deep philosophical topics. On the other hand, having plenty to eat does not always give one an appetite for the calculus or Kant either, as I can attest. Searching an unfriendly forest for something to fill the stew pot might not inspire the storyteller in a person except in the horror or adventure genres. The problems of today might not be exactly the same as the problems of yesteryear, but then again... people are still people and God has not changed.

Monday can be a happy day just as the Sunday of King David's time might have been the moment for one of the psalmier psalms. The bright sun of a clear dawn streaks across the sky to greet us with the promise of a new day in Christ Jesus. We have the escarpments of possibility and potential surrounding us. All we need to do is take the hand of our Savior and mount up to the heights of God's glory. This day you may be with Jesus in Paradise! This day you may hear the call of a new idea that Christ has whispered in your ear. This day you may have the opportunity to help someone in need, or to spread a bit of the Good News of Jesus Christ. So much good to do, so little time to get it done. Enjoy the dawning of the power of Christ Jesus!

Bucky

The Sword Cuts Both Ways

2012-01-20T06:48:00.001-08:00

Good Friday morning! A politician sins; the media reports it; the politician claims the media is "destructive, vicious, negative", the media reports it. Reporting the news is the job of the media. Anyone who has sinned doesn't want the light shined on that sin. We have a similar experience before salvation when we hear a minister on the radio pointing out our sins and we feel guilty. Many of us have taken the step of not going to church, or listening to church, or watching any kind of church service on television, and in all ways have tried to avoid God's word and His Holy Spirit placing that guilt on the unrepentant heart. However, after salvation we may feel that same temptation when the messenger, God's own Spirit, convicts us of sin. We might even avoid a daily time of Bible reading because it points hard into places that hurt. In fact, the Bible, God's Word, is sharper than a two-edged sword as we read in Hebrews 4:12 -

For the word of God is living and active, sharperthan any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

That sword of the Spirit is our primary weapon in the whole armor of God, but it also cuts and jabs our own sin. The flesh and emotions may not like that hurt. The grave cloth of pride still clinging to our heart may jerk painfully to the conviction of sin, that knowledge that in this area of life there is darkness. We want to be completely clean, but the Spirit reminds us that deep down in the corners of the heart we have a few dark spots. Like a politician, we might react badly to this poking and jabbing. We might whine and complain wishing the Spirit would give us a break. God must cleanse us completely though or Heaven will not accept us into His presence. Submission to the Spirit does not end at salvation. Giving up those areas of our lives where we often fall into sin is not always easy. We are weak and we need the strength of our Lord Jesus to cleanse our sins.

Praise God that we do have a Savior who cares enough to send His Spirit into each of us to remind us of His teachings and to convict us of our sins.

Bucky

Feeling Your Way or Guided?

2012-01-19T07:11:00.000-08:00

Good Thursday morning! Some creatures are described as ungainly. More than likely, I would be one of them. That means that others must be said to be gainly. What exactly does that mean? You can find the definition of shapely and graceful in your dictionary. Therefore I hope that you are particularly gainly today. As I get older, I seem to feel ungainly more often than not. This is probably not a fair estimation, but more of a feeling. The funny thing is that sin doesn't seem to have a particular feeling. If you have sinned, you might feel dirty, or unlovable, or ashamed, or absent from God's presence, but not many would describe the feeling as sinful. I don't get up in the morning and say that I feel quite sinful. Yet, we often use our feelings as a guide to our condition. Does the unbeliever feel sinful or is it more likely that he will feel guilty? Or perhaps he feels that something is missing in his life, such as the presence of God? Do you feel the presence of Jesus? Well, yes! That is a different matter entirely.

Jesus is not a condition, He is our Lord. We feel the presence of The Helper, the Holy Spirit Jesus sent to all of us beginning with the disciples after His resurrection. You and I can point to times in our lives after salvation that we cannot say why we went one way and not the other because the Spirit guided us. We might have no explanation for a bit of divine providence at a difficult spot, except that it was, well, Divine Providence at work in our lives. Someone new comes into our lives and blesses us with her presence. She may not know why she ended up in this place, with these people, or in this job, but we praise God. A man arrives from a far country after an odd chain of seemingly coincidental events. He didn't come seeking salvation, but he knew deep down in his heart that he needed something. He is invited to your church, and praise God, he begins to find the answers he needs. He may not have felt God's presence in those events, but after salvation, he begins to see God's hand at work even in his former sinful life.

When I left high school at 18, and couldn't wait to get off to college in a far town, I would not, even could not have predicted that I would end up 30 years later living in a town a mere 40 miles from where I began that day. All along the way though, God led me from point to point to point, and here I am. God also led me to do this thing, and join that other thing, and learn various things, and guided my life to end up writing these short devotional pieces on weekday mornings. What is God's ultimate plan for me in this life? I don't know, but I sense without knowing that if I stay in obedience, it will be more wonderful than I can imagine. Faith is a strange step to take when we look with our worldly eyes. A leap out of a job or away from a town is frightening because we cannot see the landing. Ask a gymnast to 'stick' the landing when she cannot even see the mat and she might give you that look; the one that asks what planet you currently reside on. However, our faith when we make that leap is not centered on what we can see, but who we believe in. Trust in God, trust also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions... I go to prepare a place for you.

Have a gainly day!
Bucky

Trust Allows No Backup Plan

2012-01-18T06:51:00.000-08:00

Good Wednesday morning! The wind is coming today, or would that be going? I suppose it would be both since the warnings say that it will be doing anything but staying put. We seem to have a winter of wind so far this year, with the exception of one brief moment on Sunday when not a plant could be seen moving in the pasture. Peace on this earth is fleeting. I knew the wind would be coming up, but when? It did and things were back to normal. We know 'normal' as a time of conflict. The air and water moves in circles around the earth; people demand this or that from their governments; governments take or ask this or that from their peoples; the boss demands more and more time from you; the company is making money but doesn't want to share (to keep costs down, of course); and when will the next war start. For all of this we need a backup plan.

What if the job is lost? Better have a backup plan in place. What if the home is lost? Better have a backup plan in place. What if war breaks out? What if a tornado demolishes our town? What if, what if, what if! Better have a backup plan for every conceivable disaster. Then we turn to the Bible. When God says "I will do this...", there is no added bit about a backup plan. When God commits Himself to some action, there is no "...but if I don't show up, or change my mind, be ready to do this other thing instead." Trusting in God does not have a backup plan. An unbeliever asks you, "What is your backup plan?" You respond, "I'm trusting in God. I don't need one!" You also know the unbelieving response to that one, "You're nuts!"

The scoffers of the world will never understand a leap of faith. "We must lean on our own understanding. Religious belief is a comfort, but you better have a backup plan in place." The Bible tells us that we must no longer be conformed to the world. Belief in God is a yes or no; multiple options are not allowed. Trust in God allows for no backup plan. Lot's wife committed a backup plan in direct violation of the Lord's command, and she was turned to salt. Jesus said that he who puts his hand to the plow and then looks back is not worthy. When we give our lives to Jesus, we don't have a backup plan for getting to Heaven. In fact, we learn that there isn't one available. As we learn more and more to trust in God alone, we will come to forks in the road. Down one side is unbelief. We trust in our own resources, our own understanding, strength, wisdom, and prepare a backup plan. Down the other side of that fork is trust in God. There is no backup plan. There may seem to be no resources of our own. We know that our own strength, wisdom, and understanding is completely inadequate. And we feel a flutter, perhaps a full-on body block, of fear.

A minister said the other night that if you don't feel some fear then it isn't a step of faith. Dr. David Jeremiah, if I recall correctly. I like that statement. We should not give into the fear, but look to God. However, that first reaction will come. A leap of faith will get the heart beating a little faster, the blood moving at double-time through the vessels. There is the potential from our limited view for disaster: physical disaster, financial ruin, or otherwise. The view to the other side of the chasm might be blocked by fog. God wants us to leap, but the eyes say, "Aaaugh!" Trusting in God completely is not easy, but like the man said to Jesus, "I do believe! Help my unbelief!"

God bless you and keep you on this new day!
Bucky

The Peace of Following

2012-01-17T06:24:00.001-08:00

Good Tuesday morning! Is there anything or any area of your life that you are just perfect at? Something that you never mess up, no mistakes, no screw-ups in that area? I would submit that area as the most dangerous area of your life. You might think that I am goofy. "Ha! I am never tempted in that area, and everything always goes just as I plan. I am good in that area of my life!" Exactly, if God has put that area off limits to the Devil's fiery darts, it is probably not due to our own innate strength or goodness. Quite likely it is just the opposite. Those areas of our lives in which we are constantly falling may become our areas of greatest strength... when we learn to give them over to God. Our own strength will never be sufficient. Talent and skill fall short just when we need them most. When we think that we are strong, then we shut out God and are weakest of all.

God told Paul that His grace was sufficient for and that His strength was glorified in Paul's weakness. Like Paul, we probably want to glorify God in an area we perceive in ourselves as strong. "Let me show you how I glorify you Lord in this area I am so good at. And thank you for making me so good at it, by the way!" Do we really believe that we can be good enough at anything to impress God? I haven't learned how to satisfy myself yet, how could I possibly impress the perfect Lord who created the Earth and skies? It may be that we should stop trying to impress God, and start following His Son. Jesus leads; we follow. Jesus gives; we receive. Wait for it... now the tough one - Jesus commands; we obey. As followers we have given everything to Jesus. We didn't have anything worthwhile to offer Him, but He accepted us just as we were in our sinful state when we asked for mercy. The follower does not lead the expedition. The follower does not supply all that is needed for the journey. The follower learns to listen to the leader and obey.

All of us tend to be little leaders in our own lives, but we gave our lives to Jesus. Even today, you or I might receive a command from our Lord that seems totally alien to our own understanding. Will you submit to follow or try to lead your own Lord and Master?

Enjoy the peace of following Jesus Christ,
Bucky

The Reverend Doctor Needed Mercy Too?

2012-01-16T06:43:00.001-08:00

Good Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Junior Day! Whew, we need to do something about that title. Yes, the man was named that and had those titles, but is his legacy to us in the human-bestowed titles or in the God-inspired words? News flash - the man we celebrate today was not perfect. There are dark rumors about this thing or that thing. Oh dear! What can we say? George Washington, not perfect. Abraham Lincoln, not perfect. Eisenhower, nope; Reagan, negative; Bush or Clinton... okay, we won't even go there. We don't have any perfect historical heroes... except one. Strangely to us, this one perfect historical figure did not rule over any nation. Even his own people rejected him and had him executed. Pilate had the title 'King of the Jews" placed over his head on the cross, but it was more of a derogatory remark than an acknowledgment of our Lord's true royalty. Jesus came to earth in human form and did none of the things the world celebrates today. He didn't even do the warrior or ruler things the world celebrated back then. But somehow we know that he alone lived in sinless perfection. The world would argue with that belief; it must be the Holy Spirit given to us that leads us to that conclusion.Praise God that the perfect Son of God would accept the all too imperfect sons and daughters of humans.

When we celebrate the legacy of a human, we get the great deeds or the humble sacrifice, but we also get the wrinkles and spots too. I'm not talking about the ones we get as we get older, but the imperfections in our conduct, those secret or not-so-secret sins that tell us of our need for salvation in Christ alone. Paul had a checkered past to rival even the historical figures we hold up as examples of what not to become in life. King David did to Uriah what few of us would have dared to do even before our salvation. We all have terrible sins on our record. When we compare our sins to another person's we miss the point. Any sin is terrible. The words are redundant when paired. Every sin is a rebellion against God. We don't need to dig up dirt on our human heroes; we all know the dirt is there. We all need to realize our need for the mercy of Christ.

Yes, the Reverend Doctor needed mercy and grace just as you and I do this morning. I tend to step up on my little soap box when the holiday arrives and some wag in the media starts in on how King, Washington, Lincoln, or any other celebrated life had some skeletons in their closet. We know they do. Let us forgive them too and celebrate a sacrifice for our great nation under God.

Praise the name of the Lord!
Bucky

Oops, I Looked Back

2012-01-13T07:18:00.001-08:00

Good Friday morning! This is your lucky day! Friday the 13th commemorates the day that Joachim Pillywag tried out the first floating bridge in 1318. Unfortunately, Joachim had not yet perfected the art of anchoring the bridge on the far end and took an unforeseen floating trip downstream as the poorly anchored near end also broke loose in the current. At first some witnesses thought that ol' Joachim might have perfected the art of walking on water as the bridge sank slightly under his weight. The game was up however when Joachim tried to walk to the shore with the pompous air of the soon to be sainted (at least in his own mind that is). He demonstrated what became known as Pillywag's Lever when the former bridge tipped up and dumped the surprised wannabe inventor into the drink. There is your totally fictitious Friday the 13th tale.

After many years in corporate America, Friday still brings a strong urge to fool around in place of my complete seriousness on the other days of the week. What? Why is everyone laughing? Okay, so maybe there are a couple of other days when I am not totally serious. Trusting in God tends to lighten my heart. Do I have problems? Certainly, and I can even witness to the fact that I am not the only one. Belief in Jesus, trusting fully in His providence, and the love of God does not mean that problems suddenly vanish and life becomes a nap in a shaded pasture. No, the psalm that mentions laying down in green pastures also mentions a trip through the valley of death's shadow. Yesterday. I completed the reading of a three volume history of the Third Reich. I realized quickly enough that I read my way quite literally through the valley of death's shadow. Wow, even writing about it the next day brought my happy mood to a dead halt. The lesson from all that? When Christ leads you out of that dread valley, don't turn around and look back; you might fall right back down into the shadow.

Enjoy the day, love your neighbor, and walk with Christ!
Bucky

A Little Powerful Prayer

2012-01-12T06:42:00.001-08:00

Happy Thursday morning! The winter has become a mite strange this year. Minnesota has little snow, but Alaska would be more than glad to share some of theirs. The cooling of a part of the Pacific Ocean makes us warmer? Yup, things are strange in the world. While all this strangeness works itself out, how much power do you see in your prayer? Have you ever failed to pray for something or someone because you thought that it wouldn't do any good? Perhaps the thought came that God will work His sovereign will in any case, so one more prayer is hardly needed. Maybe you have thought that with all of those relatives praying for that sick child, your prayer would be superfluous? Any of us might even see our prayer as a mere drop in the bucket. "I forgot to pray for that person. Oh well, God won't miss one prayer among so many."

I like to think of my prayers as an offering. Certainly Jesus could have fed the thousands without the few loaves and fishes, but what a magnificent offering the boy made with his little lunch. God can heal my friends without my prayers, but what a privilege to let my Father in Heaven know that I am thinking about someone besides myself. The power of one prayer is far more than we realize. A few years ago, we memorized a verse in James: "The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." (5:16b) Now we are made righteous in Christ, so doesn't that give us a strong incentive to turn our powerful and effective prayers loose on our friends and neighbors? We can even call upon the Spirit to help us remember all of those needs we hear about. People we don't even know will benefit from our powerful and effective prayers. Turn your one little prayer into an offering to Jesus.

In writing or speaking or even talking to friends it may seem at times that our words are being sucked into a vacuum. In prayer, we not only make immediate contact with the Almighty, but we also have an intercessor in Christ Jesus who makes sure that our prayers are heard just right. Slips of the lip and stumbles of the tongue are smoothed over and we are taught to pray for the right things. The Spirit within us calls out to God the Father and sovereign authority is granted us as heirs of the King of kings. No need to hide from God, bring your prayers boldly before the throne.

Have a beautiful Thursday in Christ!
Bucky

An Envy Overcome

2012-01-11T06:43:00.001-08:00

Good Wednesday morning! Kind of easy-going on the e-mails today. Could the commercialism of the holidays be over at last? Nah, probably just waiting for the next holiday excuse to bombard my e-mail inbox. Come to think of it, there is a holiday on Monday already. Not that the holiday isn't deserved, but we might ask, "Are they getting off again? Already?!" 'They' is the group of folks getting the day off with pay of course, not that we know each of them personally. We tend to take a horizontal look and get right to that complaining mode with God. We see it in the Psalms and many other books of the Bible too. We see the neighbors getting not one new appliance, but an entire household of new appliances. (A true example from yesterday) We see the new car in the neighbor's driveway with the 'in-transit' sticker in the window. We see the group heading off to a cruise together. (Now wouldn't that be nice!) All of these can lead us into grumbling instead of praising God.

The first gut-reacting feeling may come, and we may not be able to do anything about it. You and I may feel a bit of shame over that feeling as we realize the conviction over coveting and envy. But, we have an opportunity after the Holy Spirit taps us on the proverbial shoulder to take the time to praise God for our neighbor's good news. Then we can pray that our dear neighbor realizes where that provision comes from and that they will give thanks to God. I saw the works (fridge, dishwasher, dryer, washer, etc.) going into my neighbor's house yesterday, and I was glad and praising God... yes, after I had the initial feeling of envy.

Maybe it comes from our earliest days when we carefully count the number of presents the sibling got and compare it with our own. We latch onto a myth about some man in a red suit bringing presents to all children, so that we don't have to face the fact that many children get no presents at all in this world. Or perhaps those are just symptoms of the fallen nature we are born with. The first feelings we get may come from the flesh that is faster to react than our new spiritual nature does. However, we do have the Spirit to help us overcome those initial feelings. We can have better thoughts as the Spirit with us gains the mastery over the flesh. We can discard that reaction and decide to praise God. We can take the next step and pray for all of our neighbors, that maybe, just maybe, all of them will receive that greatest gift of all, Jesus Christ.

Praise the Lord!
Bucky

An Honest Prayer

2012-01-10T06:37:00.000-08:00

Good Tuesday morning! Have you ever prayed an honest prayer? Sure, you and me, we think that all of our prayers are honest. One example stands out in the Bible for me today. A man cried out a simple and honest prayer to Jesus. In Mark 9:24 a father makes the heartfelt cry we all sometimes feel: "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" I have thought often that this prayer is one of the most honest we can pray. We read the promises in the Bible and we think that our belief is solid, but then a doubt or two creeps in. We stare at the storm instead of the Savior. We look hard at the waves instead of the walker on top of them. We see doom in the circumstances and forget the promise in the scriptures. One day there will be no more room for unbelief. We will see Jesus on His throne and know beyond any doubt. Until then, we have this world to constantly remind us of how close we are to the edge of the chasm. We have our diabolical and animal natures attacking our faith from inside. We have our own eyes looking to the wrong things.

"Seek first the kingdom of God and its righteousness..." Jesus tells us. The prodigal returned to his father to find a welcome embrace, covering for his flesh, and food for his starving belly. Jesus promises the same to us. We believe this...and then we doubt. The prayer of simple honesty comes to mind once more. "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" We tend to start at the end of that simple prayer, concentrating on our unbelief. Get back to the start of it - concentrate on the Lord! The circumstances of your health, or your finances, or your family life, or relationships, or a million other things may seem so very dark this morning. Look to the Savior; read His words of promise and hope. Not just the ones about His coming to rule and reign, but the ones that speak to God's marvelous sovereign will for us right now on this very day when things seem too dark for us to believe.

One day that second part about unbelief will no longer be necessary. Need I remind you and my own self that the day has not yet arrived? The doubts will come from our unbelief, or the doubts will be fired at us from our adversary. Make it a firm prayer, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" We have much to live for, and certainly the most joyful reason is our Lord Jesus Christ.

Enjoy a better day,
Bucky

Pay Attention

2012-01-09T05:51:00.000-08:00

Great Monday in the morning! Whoo hoo! Like a team in overtime we are back to worship God! I wonder if the widow in Zarephath ever asked Elijah if the Lord wouldn't make her feel better by keeping the barrels full instead of nearly empty? We often wonder the same thing in our faith. A Christian man looks at his old car and wonders how many more trips the Lord will see through to the end. A new car would provide a lot less worry, and the Lord could keep it running a whole lot easier, he thinks as he stops to pray one more time for a safe journey. A Christian wife looks over the family accounts and wonders how they managed to pay the bills that month. Surely the Lord could do wonderful works by keeping the account filled up with several thousand dollars, couldn't he? Throughout the Bible and in the inspirational stories we hear, the Lord seems to want to work in sudden-death overtime. The Lord provides a David with a sling after the mighty army has been shamed by the giant. The Lord provides the victory to the fellow with the sheepskin after whittling his army down to near nothing. Jesus raises Lazarus after the poor guy suffered death and began to rot. Jesus himself rose again after suffering a shameful death on the cross. Do you and I have the faith to wait for the nick of time?

When things look okay from our point of view, we want God to step up with what we are going to need. A message of comfort before the storm breaks. A nice yacht to ride out the flood instead of a hand into the life raft after we are nearly drowned. Yeah, why can't the Lord work that way? The Lord sent many prophets to Israel back in the day, and just as often they didn't want to hear what the Lord had to say before the storm broke. Noah did have a big ship to ride out the flood, but the Lord had him build it first...with hand tools, in a land that had never seen rain much less a flood. Noah also had to share the ship with a bunch of animals, some of which he had probably never seen before. "What do you suppose those two things eat, Shem?"

Storms may break on us without warning. We need God to send the life raft and a lifeguard too. Other storms may have plenty of warning. We might want to take a second look at the blueprints God has given us and get to building that ark. We don't always speak our gratitude when the times are good and realize that God is working when the barrel is full. As the barrel gets down to the last few crumbs, suddenly we start to pray once more. God doesn't need our attention; we need to pay attention to God.

Have a great new week in Christ Jesus!
Bucky

Capital Punishment?

2012-01-06T06:53:00.001-08:00

Good Friday morning! Years ago, we might even say centuries, a man wrote down his confessions. Today this writing is considered a landmark work in Christian literature. The Confessions of St. Augustine is a work familiar to most pastors, priests, and Bible scholars. Not that I consider myself worthy of any of those titles, but I do have a nice copy decorated in 22k gold, printed on fancy paper with an actual font, and I have actually read some of it. Today, I happened to glance into the living room while gathering up some stuff and, lo!, the great work of Christian scholarship had been demoted to a resting place for a cat's bottom. I couldn't help but think of the reaction something like this might cause in other times and places.

Another person might consider this an abomination. The cat would have to be executed in some ritual, the book cleansed in another ritual, and the family embarrassed and humiliated for allowing such a thing to happen in their home. This scenario might seem a bit on the silly side to us, an overreaction to a nothing event. However, as we look back to the Law in our Bible, we find penalties for events and actions that might seem to us a bit harsh over something so small. As we read further, we find that the penalty for sin is death. Any breaking of God's Law is a sin, and any sin is death. (The cat is fine. Relax, let me get to the point here.) Then we come in our reading to Jesus. Compassion and mercy, but still backed by God's perfect judgment. The woman caught in adultery is brought before the Master. The zealous guardians of the Law are ready to carry out her sentence. Jesus draws in the dust. Finally, our Lord gives them permission to stone the lady... provided they are free of sin in their own hearts. Oops. The accusers leave one by one until only the accused is left with Jesus.

We too come to the cross with accusers all around ready to condemn us to death. The accuser might be our own conscience, the words of other people, or even the Accuser himself. In answer to the clamour for punishment, Jesus gives His answer. "Neither do I condemn you." In John we read that Jesus did not come to condemn the world, but that we might be saved through Him. So much condemnation in the Law as we fail to keep it. So much grace in Christ as the accused stands freed from condemnation by the very Word of God.

To God be the Glory!
Bucky

Grace Is Free - Be Content

2012-01-05T07:15:00.001-08:00

Good Thursday morning! Just a bit late today, must've been the nightmares last night. Cursed we are, and death we see, but believe upon the Morning Star, and find the grace of Christ is free! Sometimes I wonder how ever in the world Christ could accept me. Of course, that is part of it. Jesus doesn't depend on a worldly view of me to cleanse me from all unrighteousness. He depends upon the Word. His Word. Not what the world knows or thinks but His own wisdom is the standard Christ uses to judge. We live by His grace. As I looked at my sinful mind today, I realized that the only way I can be counted righteous is through Christ Jesus. The only way I can be seen as holy is through Christ Jesus. That reminds me of John 14:6 where Jesus said that He is the way.

The world will lead us to religious methods for salvation. But Jesus stated that He alone is the way. We feel a temptation in our rebellious hearts to follow a prescription for cleansing, or a map that requires brave deeds and steep climbs, but Jesus alone can provide salvation. Grace is a free gift. In making my resolutions for the year, I find that I want to be perfect. That hasn't happened any other year, resolutions kept or not. I'm not sure why I think it would happen this year in my own strength and effort. Hmm, grace as a free gift. Perhaps I should start with being content in that. Then with a prayer and the guidance of the Spirit, I can make some resolutions that will work for positive change.

Rest in Christ today,
Bucky

Safety Provided By God Alone

2012-01-04T06:25:00.000-08:00

Good Wednesday morning! One of the first things I heard this morning was the memory verses on MyBridge radio. I kind of like to pass this one along to you.

"You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound. I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety." (Psalms 4:7-8)

We can all understand the happiness of having a bountiful harvest. For us the verse might speak to a day when bonus checks are handed out at a company. More than just a payday, a bonus day makes the heart glad for just a bit before the surplus is gone. Most of us have experienced this kind of brief happiness. The psalmist speaks of having greater joy than that. Then, with that great joy in hand, the psalmist lays down to sleep in peace. We have a desire for that joy as well. Think about all the commercial ads you have seen in magazines and on the telly for products to help us get to sleep and stay asleep. Sleep is a wonderful thing and we earnestly desire it. But along with all those sleep aids, we also desire to sleep in safety.

One of the most frightening tales over the years has been the late night knock on the door, the sudden assault of a dictator's secret police, or the flood waters coming at night. Actually that's more than one tale. We don't like to be suddenly awakened when we expect to be in a comfortable bed asleep until the morning light. Some folks lock their doors with extra locks, some sleep with firearms nearby, others seek safety in numbers or alarms or police presence or other things that I haven't thought of this morning. In this world it is so easy to look in the wrong direction for a sense of safety. Our verses remind us that only God provides safety.

Stop to ponder that last bit for a moment - only God provides safety. As you think about laying aside some props that might have accumulated over the years to bolster your sense of safety, what happens? Right, the 'what if's' start up in that worldly-trained mind we have. Hee, hee, my mind is doing it too! Such a case for letting go and giving my safety into God's hands I have seldom seen. Pray that all of us will learn to trust in the Lord.

Bucky

Resolution Revolution

2012-01-03T06:00:00.001-08:00

Good Tuesday morning! The new year has begun and we are some resolution makin' fools! This year, pick one friend and blame everything that is wrong in your life on him (or her). Wait... that's not how we treat our friends. Even the pagans and heathens wouldn't treat a friend in that manner. Yet, how often have you found a finger pointing toward someone when the blame rightly fell upon yourself? One of the most difficult resolutions to make at the start of a new year is to accept responsibility and, yes, even the blame, when you and I have made a mistake or committed a sin. I noticed the other night that it didn't even make the top five resolutions, probably not even the top 20. This year I resolve to take responsibility comes in somewhere behind: 1- Saving money. 2- Losing weight. 3- Getting in a relationship. 4- Exercising more. 5- Spending more time with family. And who knows how many others. In that list though, I had to wonder if any of those who resolved to get in a relationship will include Jesus as the other half of that new partnership?

We can make a lot of resolutions this week. A story in Guideposts this month tells of a woman who resolved to pray for 365 strangers one year. That doesn't sound too hard until we read that God put her feet to the fire in a manner of speaking. She must go up to the stranger and let the person know that she is praying for that person on that day. For an introverted or shy person, that suddenly makes the resolution a whole different challenge. I like the challenging resolutions, but how many have I kept over the years? One way to make and keep a challenging resolution is to pray with God first. Just joining the crowd in the top five list may not put that personal touch to it that God likes to do with us. We tend to pick resolutions based on our own perceived faults, but God may have a different direction for us to go.

If God has created you with an imagination: use it to make an imaginative resolution. That's not to be confused with imaginary resolutions by the way, which are the ones most of us seem to make. We might also think about telling a friend the resolution to enlist his help in keeping us accountable. If that doesn't work out for you, then you have found something else to blame on your friend. Just kidding! Put the pointing finger of blame back in the holster. We each should get aside from the rush and seek God's will in our resolutions first. I mention the rush of life because for many of us, the rush begins again today. Resolutions to avoid the sweets might get lost in the pile of e-mails in the old inbox. The resolution to make our list of resolutions might get shuffled down to the bottom of the to-do list. Find some time to get alone with God this week and ask Him about those resolutions. He may have only one for you to work on this year.

In God we trust for everything!
Bucky

Choose the Good News

2012-01-02T06:50:00.000-08:00

Good Monday morning! A slow Monday morning around these parts. Most folks will be celebrating the holiday today. I can't recall hearing a single engine start up this morning. On the other hand, the news wags cannot wait to grant us the bad news already this morning. The economonsters have already predicted too much of this in Europe and too little of that in America. However, in answer to that dreadful bit of un-cheerful news, I will remind you that God's plan is unfolding exactly on schedule, on budget, and according to the plan. Like John we may not like all that God's plan reveals at times. The judgments we read in Revelation are not the most enjoyable of events to ponder. Each day brings the world closer to God's wrath. A little recession doesn't seem so bad when we look at the coming tribulation. But! That is not how we start the new year.

We do not ignore the coming judgment, but we do look to the signs of Christ's return. Like Elijah, we look and see darkness over the land. But God says that He has many who believe in His Son. The Spirit of God is not goofing off somewhere, but is enabling us to spread the Good News far and wide. Many ministries contacted us for donations at the end of the year. We can look at the darkness and moan about how short of funds the body of Christ is, or, we can look at how many active ministries are working to spread the Good News of Christ. We can see how many ministers have not given up the fight. Some of us may not have money to give, but we can give prayer. We can resolve to not give up. To look not at our own lack of resources, but at the awesome resources of our Father in Heaven. To pray in God's power and not in our own weakness. We can thank God for what Jesus has accomplished and not moan about how little we have or have done. We choose to stand up and praise the name of Jesus!

Perhaps the day doesn't have to be as quiet as I thought...

Bucky
Heh, the only spelling suggestion for 'economonsters' is 'economists'. Perfect! Just what I wanted.

Another Good Year in Christ!

2011-12-30T06:30:00.001-08:00

Good Friday morning! Oh yeah, I feel the urge to write about old things today. Adam, Seth, Enoch, Methuselah... those guys lived a long, long time. Kind of reminds us of someone else today, eh? Okay, no more teasing of the aged on this fine morning. The weather sent us quite the air change yesterday. At the speed the air was moving yesterday these molecules we have now must have been in Seattle on Wednesday. I think I saw a buffalo tumble by sometime in the afternoon, the cows were all laid out flat in the fields, and the freight trains went through town sideways, just another windy day in the West. Praise God for the good rain too!

Over the next couple of days, we will usually look back on the past year. We do this because the world will remind us that we are supposed to do this. News shows will have the top stories of the year. Magazines will have their lists of the best of 2011. Charts of this or that will come across our e-mails. And we will be told that regurgitating all that we did wrong over the past year is somehow good for us. The idea is that a list of our accomplishments for the year is supposed to be uplifting. Unfortunately, many will try to come up with accomplishments and come up with nothing. Depression and doom sets in for another year. Part of the problem is that we tend to think of accomplishments that are awarded by humans. We didn't win an Academy Award, or a Tony, or a Nobel Prize, or some political office, so we didn't accomplish anything. How wrong is that? Others will look at how their sports teams did and decide that they had a bad or good year. Some might look at the size of their trophy shelf as some indication of their accomplishments for the year. I don't know about you, but I don't even have a trophy shelf. We have a lot of ways to judge how poorly we did this year. Maybe we need a new yardstick.

This year we had a lot of Bible study meetings. Each one is a victory in this dark world. In some parts of the world Christians are risking imprisonment or execution by holding a Bible study. They held those Bible studies anyway. A victory for Jesus. Missionaries gave sermons all over the world this year. Some of them suffered for it. We supported missions work through prayer and giving - another victory for Jesus and for us. Pastors led churches in worship this year. We pray and give and attend and work behind the scenes and support in other ways all of these missions too. More victories for Jesus and for us. Each time we pray to God for our brothers and sisters in Christ is an accomplishment. Every time we pray for healing for those we love is a victory. All those good deeds we did to show our faith in Christ were accomplishments that Jesus used to adorn His bride, the Church. You know, looking back we had a pretty good year in Christ.

Take another look at your year, and praise God for the privilege of serving Him!
Bucky

Suffering and Thanking

2011-12-29T06:04:00.001-08:00

Good Thursday morning! Suffering, suffering everywhere I look it seems nothing but suffering. Aaaugh! What is a person to do? Just what we have always done: we can pray to the God of Heaven and Earth. Most of us were born too late to pray as Jesus suffered on the cross. But we have a lot of suffering to pray for right now. One of the major steps in our Christian growth is the gradual realization that not all of the suffering is our own. At the first as little Christian infants we are mainly concerned with the suffering we experience daily. We call out to God and He gives us rest, but we begin to see other suffering. In the pains and trials we have walked through with Jesus, we begin to gain an understanding and compassion for the suffering of others. Without a lengthy stay in a hospital, I would have much less understanding of what others are going through in their hospital stays. How would I know what Christmas in a hospital is like without celebrating one myself? The suffering you and I are going through may serve (may?) God's purpose even though we cannot see how at the time.

My sufferings are limited. God controls everything so that I am not overwhelmed in His strength, though I am often overwhelmed in my own. Some suffering I will not understand because I have no experience. Praise God that we do not have to suffer everything. In some things, others will be better able to comfort a brother or sister in Christ because of their own particular journeys through those dark valleys with Jesus. In all sufferings, Jesus has given us the Comforter to help us and lift us up. Not one of us stands alone in suffering. The times seem dark, but the light shines.

In all the tales of suffering that I see in the body of Christ, what stands out? "Thank God," "Thank you Lord," "Thanks to God"... always the gratitude of thanksgiving to our Lord. How sweet that must seem to our God when we give Him thanks in those tough times. How much more must our Lord have compassion and rush to ease our pain when we give thanks even in the darkest moments. See how quickly our Father responds as more prayers rise up to Him when we pray for the suffering of those we love. We must suffer for a time, but great are the promises of our Lord.

Look up to the heavens today, your hope draws near!
Bucky

Those Emotions!

2011-12-28T06:06:00.001-08:00

Good Wednesday morning! I got my feelings hurt. What does that mean? Everyone knows it. Yet the phrase can be difficult to define. You and I can point to examples, tell our stories, and we know when it has happened. But...how does one explain how my feelings have been hurt? In Christ we often go to His word to see what we should do or learn from something like that. I can think of one story right off: the time when James and John earned their 'sons of thunder' nickname. Jesus rebuked them and I suspect the brothers had their feelings hurt as we like to say. Or what about the time that Jesus called Peter 'Satan'? That would certainly hurt my feelings.

Sometimes we get an emotional beating when we are in the wrong. The other person overreacts to something and says harsh things and we have our feelings hurt. That happened a lot in the Marines where so many of us were young men passing from teenage boy to manhood. Juvenile prank sometimes met with rank and responsibility and the prankster's feelings could end up hurt in a heated butt-chewing. Yes, there is a story behind that one. All of us probably had that passage in some organization or workplace. Part of that is in learning to leave behind the childish things. The other part is learning that others do have a certain power to cause emotional pain through words or actions. We also have the power to heal with more words when we have hurt another person.

Jesus didn't apologize for rebuking James and John, or Peter, or anyone else for that matter. Jesus was always right and He didn't have to apologize for being right. However, I'm am certain that Jesus did later take James and John aside and speak more gently to them. Scholars tend to think that John was the youngest of the disciples, so perhaps Jesus found him weeping somewhere away from the group later that evening. When a person is flat out wrong and respected authority rebukes him, the hurt can be rather intense. With gentle words, perhaps even a gentle laugh, Jesus healed the hurt though, maybe, not all the way. The lesson needed to be learned and Jesus would not have wanted his young disciple to forget.

Years later something may trigger a memory of a hard lesson in us. The same hurt feelings may be recalled in almost the same intensity. It isn't that God wants to rake us over the same coals again, but that the lesson stick in our hearts. Some emotional lessons are so harsh that we go far out of our way to make sure the same thing doesn't happen again. Emotions: can't stand 'em at times, don't want to live without 'em, love the good ones, hate the bad ones, praise the Lord for 'em and trust in God to train us up right.

Have a great new day in Christ!
Bucky

Show Him The Way

2011-12-27T06:18:00.000-08:00

Good Tuesday morning! Ah, the after-Christmas 'buy me' e-mails have begun. I was a bit disgusted by the e-mails that stated "Our gift to you this Christmas.... a special sale." Wait, your gift to me is that I buy something from you? No matter the price, that does not seem like a gift in any sense of the word. If you think that is the meaning of a gift, hang tight there for a bit and I'll get some $10 gift cards and 'give' them to you for the today only price of $20 (plus S&H)! Hoorah, ain't we a giving bunch now! Sometimes the marketing just steps over my line. Praise the Lord for the new day!

The methods of the world might cause anger at first. But sometimes we may see just a bit of desperation beneath the surface if we look more closely. Methods that seem downright dishonest to you and me may be the last desperate gasp of someone or some organization with no hope. What made that person lie like that? What made that trusted employee take what was not his to take? You have read the news reports and wondered why, and I have too. We know that our hope is in Christ. What about those who do not believe in Christ or believe in just an empty religion? We read of those who seem to have 'gone bad' and we don't always understand. The reasons may not be apparent at first, but I suspect that a lack of any hope is underneath it all. We know where to find peace, joy, love, and hope. But not everyone knows who we know.

Christ-ones throughout the world have endured seriously trying circumstances and have stood up to give the glory to God. Looking to Christ when things seem just downright awful is what we do for a living. You are correct, that isn't what the world considers to be a job. When things seem good and life seems easy, I thank God. When things seem bad and life difficult, I turn to Jesus and praise His name. I can't help it; it's my job you see. When a person without Christ turns during the bad times, he may find friends having the same problems, or family without the means to help, or even a hollow church with no real hope to offer. If that person should turn to you though, show him the Way, the Truth and the Life.

Yes, I do wake up worried some days, but I turn to Jesus. My Lord offers the only lasting solutions and I make up my mind each day to trust in Him.

Bucky

My Mistake, No Surprises!

2011-12-26T05:56:00.001-08:00

Good Monday morning! Happy Christmas to you! As this is sort of the official day for the holiday, many of you will be off work today. Some will be doing the annual return ritual at stores and such. Others will be recovering from the weekend's festivities. I built a Lego lighthouse for my Christmas treat and listened to Handel's Messiah. The turkey didn't come out too bad... given that it had been in the freezer for about 3 years or so. I don't think turkeys are supposed to be stored for quite that long. I might try a fresh one for New Year's just to check. Come to think of it the carrots might have been a bit old too. Unfortunately, I'm still alive this morning so God must not be done with me yet.

Did you ever stop to think that your most awful, humiliating blunders in life were serving God's purpose? We often think that God will win in the end in spite of our blunders and sins. However, those mistakes and stumbles we commit might be a part of God's plan. We are wrong if we think that something we do ever catches God by surprise.

"Oh, My goodness, did you see what that Bucky just did down there! Tell the Son that we'll have to rearrange things to make up for that. Send Gabriel to smite him one too."

We know that God is not taken by surprise. So how does God use our blunders for His good purpose? Oh, wait, the Spirit has taught me the answer to that... "I don't know!" I cannot say how it is that God uses my worst mistakes or your awful blunders or Joe's stumbles or Jane's errors as a part of His great masterwork. Many of us have been in charge of projects or supervised other workers. We know the difficulties of mistakes and miscalculations, and perhaps even the pain when a mistake doomed the project. God can use even our mistakes because, well, He is God. We strive in the Spirit to do right, but sometimes we err. God's plan is not halted; the plan of saving the world is not thrown out or reworked; the end of this world has already been foretold and the prophecies have not changed. Praise the Lord! God is in charge and I cannot upset His plans for me or for the world! What a relief.

May God bless you in this new day!Bucky

Special Christian Joy

2011-12-23T05:47:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas! The shopping e-mails are slowing down. That must mean that Christmas is almost here! Christmas music is on the sound system and Christmas cheer is in the air. The final Scrooge is in the player and we are ready for the big holiday. But, the world can do all of that just as well as we can. What is so special about the holiday that gets Christians so much more excited than the secular world? All of us, believer or non-believer, can open gifts, give gifts, put up lights, send cards, watch the Christmas specials on the telly, and even go to church. Only God could give a gift that means eternal life. Only a believer in Christ can accept the gift bestowed by God's own grace.

As a single person, I cannot buy the gift of grace for myself. As married folks, you cannot purchase the gift of grace for your spouse. As persons having family and friends, we cannot pool our resources to give the gift of grace to one lucky person. However, God gives the gift of grace freely to those who will believe in the One responsible for the name of this particular holiday. Christ and Christmas do kind of go together if you think about it. Christmas means so much more to us because we believe in the root of the title. Without Christ in my life, Christmas just wouldn't be the same. Without Christ in your life, the act of giving would not grow from God's gift to you. Without Christ, the family gathering would be short the most important member. Without Christ, the party of friends would seem empty. Christ is the root of our Christmas, and the source of our special joy.

Enjoy the Spirit and Joy of Christmas in Christ Jesus!Bucky

A Better Gift? Better To Just Share!

2011-12-22T06:19:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas! Today we can start winter and it even looks like winter outside. Today I want to give you a gift of love. How do I out give God though? I have no kids to give; God gave His only Son. I could possibly give up my life, but my sinful nature has corrupted the sacrifice. Jesus was not born in sin and did not sin in His earthly life. His sacrifice was perfect and acceptable to God. My birth happened in the usual way. The birth of Jesus was accompanied by angels and sung by the hosts of heaven. It would seem that I don't need to worry about what to give to you. The gift of love I seek to give was given by God many years ago.

I worry, you worry, we all worry too much about what to give each other during this season. The perfect gift of love has already been given. We cannot give each other the perfect gift except by re-gifting the Son, the gift God gave to us. Any of us might have good news about something in our lives, but the Good News is all about Jesus. You might have been blessed with the very riches of Solomon, but God's gift is beyond price. Empty out the almost bottomless wealth of King Solomon's mines and you will not have enough to buy a gift better than God's own precious baby Jesus in that manger. Truly we live in a privileged time when we can have Jesus in our hearts. None of us need worry about how much we can spend. We give the greatest gift by sharing the one we already have. And our gifting does not in the least diminish the Lord Jesus in our hearts. What a great gift to share!

Bucky

The Spirit's Work

2011-12-21T06:14:00.001-08:00

Good Christmas joy to you on this fine day! Only a few people knew that Jesus had arrived. A few wise men from the east began their journey; a few shepherds in the field stared in awestruck fear at the angels; Mary and Joseph sat near a manger; a few relatives knew that Jesus and John were something special, but the birth did not make the Roman News Network report for that day. The birth looked forward to for hundreds of years kind of came and went. No big deal for the biggest deal of all time. The Son of God had become a human baby in a manger in a small town in Judea.

Most young couples might have taken off for home as soon as the registration was complete. It seems that Mary and Joseph stayed put though. Did the registration Rome commanded require a long stay? Was Joseph broke after the journey or Mary unable to travel after her first birth? Perhaps the reason for the stay had to do with a sense of responsibility. We know how fragile a baby is. Now imagine that fragile baby is the Son of God, the promised Messiah waited for since the first prophecies. How would you like to have that responsibility? Joseph and Mary might have been careful to do everything possible to make sure the child would grow up strong and healthy; no easy task in those days and not all that easy in our modern times. But who was responsible for Jesus as an infant and toddler? Well, he is the Son of God.

We often have that same problem. We have given our lives to Christ and now God the Father is responsible for bringing us up in the right way and time. We grasp at the responsibility for our own development having some idea of the direction we should go from the Word of God, but we see poorly as in a bad mirror. The work of saving me was completed by Jesus on the cross. Yet if it were up to me today, I would concentrate on making myself acceptable through external changes. You might try to gain acceptance through good deeds that people can see and applaud. Another person might sit on a mountain peak and meditate for days on end. We have the wrong way of going about this thing that God has taken over in our lives. I suppose the real repentance is in turning from what we think we know and from telling God how good we are or what we are going to do to make ourselves ready for Him. Jesus started out His perfect life as a very incapable infant. When we are born again we start out the same way, but we sometimes forget that and start planning our own sanctification. Trust in the Holy Spirit of Christ to do His own good work in you!

Bucky

Thank You Very Much, Lord!

2011-12-20T06:33:00.001-08:00

Good Tuesday morning! Last night was my annual sniffle and sob through It's a Wonderful Life. Some of the sniffling came from my annual Christmastime cold that seems to have arrived at the same time. I wonder if there's a connection? Hmm, movie and a cold anyone? Personally I blame the dentist. Colds seem to lie in wait until disturbed by unauthorized drilling activities in my teeths. We'll just blame the old dentist. He's retiring at the end of the year anyway. Annual traditions can be (mostly) wonderful. The ones that center on Christ such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter are all full of joy and gratitude. The ones that involve communicable illnesses...well, not so much. We love the ceremonies of worship and the good fellowship of the Christmas tradition. The good news for us all is that the big celebration is this weekend!

The carols, the songs of praise, lights, trees, worship, gifts, cards, shows, movies, parties, celebrations, ah the wonder and joy of the season! I watched my seventh Scrooge last night too. This one is the musical version with Albert Finney in the title role. The script takes quite a few liberties with some key lines, and I startle the cats by hollering at the screen, but I do like one song in particular. As Scrooge is looking for a little tenderness related to this man's death - refusing to realize that the death is his own of course - the very musically-gifted and dance-trained peasants who owe Scrooge money express their gratitude. With the death of their lender, they are free of their debts it seems. "Thank you very much. That's the nicest thing that anyone has ever done for me." is the line that got me to thinking about the parallel with our own Savior.

The reason we celebrate Christmas so much is the long-expected gift of the Messiah. The Christ child born at Christmas was a gift unlike any ever given. Like the peasants we live crushed under a load of debt that we can never pay. However, Jesus did a nice thing for us by dying to pay that debt for us. Our celebration at Christmas should have a lot of Thank-you-very-much in it.

Merry Christmas to you! Bucky

Using His Name

2011-12-19T06:22:00.000-08:00

Good Monday morning! Might be a bit icy this morning, be careful. Okay, so we have done as Jesus commanded and put off the worry for tomorrow until tomorrow. But that day has finally arrived and the worry like a predatory beast has sprung on the mind and set in to devour. The problem is that I'm almost certain that Jesus didn't mean for us to schedule worries like we set appointments. Ignoring the approaching doom until the day it arrives is not quite the same as trusting completely in God. Giving all of our worries to God means ALL of our worries. I don't know about you, but I can pack a whole lot of fret and worry into one morning, even one part of one morning. Tearing myself up with worry on the day may seem to follow the letter of Jesus' command, but I don't think Jesus meant to create a worry loophole.

That old diabolical nature just likes to beat us down every chance it gets. Worry, fear, anxiety, depression, lack of self-control, it all points back to following the way of the world instead of our Lord Jesus. How it attacks too! At times it feels like a truce has been declared with that sin nature, but just when I think to relax a bit... it comes roaring into the assault. Whether you attribute the attack to your sin nature or to that old roaring lion of Peter's, the result is the same if we let our eyes stray from Jesus. You and I are not strong angels. Alone we cannot stand. Looking at the fear or the cause of our fear will not save us. Looking to our Lord and standing firm in prayer will give us the victory.

Some of you have already guessed it, so I'll just say it.

"I just love going to the dentist." Hmm, nope didn't work on my own.

"I just love how Jesus takes me to the dentist in His gentle loving care." Much better! Try it for yourself. When I bring Jesus into the matter, I can feel the peace flowing through me from His precious name.

Have a better day with Christ,Bucky

Fourth Quarter Miracles

2011-12-16T07:13:00.000-08:00

Good Friday morning! A warm spell has arrived in our area. Will we have a white Christmas this year or just a warm Christmas? Eight weeks ago a football team from 'round these parts was done for the year. A 1-4 record, stick a fork in it, call the funeral director, say 'so long' to the season, and get ready for a draft pick near the start. But! Along comes a player who has the scorn of the football media. This football player has something interesting going for him: a vocal and right-up-front belief in the Lord Jesus. True to form, the Lord provides an example of what could happen far and wide for those who will return to worship God and believe in His Son. Suddenly, it seems, the football team has won 7 of the last 8 games, 3 in overtime and one in the final seconds, and the season is found again. First place in their division, playoff hopes renewed, celebration in the home city, and say 'so long' to the first draft pick. What lesson can our nation lost in an economic depression and a spiritual drought learn from this example?

Actually, the Word of God provides a very direct quotation on situations just like this. "...if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land." (2 Chron 7:14) At that time, God had called a people from out of the other peoples on the Earth. We know them as the Hebrew nation of Israel, but the Bible is always ready to speak to us in this day as well. Are you called by the name of God? How about Christ? Christians or Christ-ones, must be ready to take the message of humility, prayer, seeking after the Lord, and repentance to the world that is hurting right now. Many of us are looking a lot like a team that is 1-4 and ready to give up the fight. We have lost a lot and we look ahead expecting to lose it all. We need healing.

In truth, I never expected the Lord to provide such an obvious example in the world of sports. I watched as the analysts unleashed their experience and knowledge on a team and a particular player. It's part of their job and they are good at that job. Why then have they been proven so wrong? Why are people talking of Tebow time and fourth quarter miracles? No surprise to those who will believe in God. We pray and God answers. This time the answer is a 'yes' and those who look from worldly eyes cannot figure it out. While some need to learn the power of faith in God, others need to remember who we believe in. If your life looks like the season is lost, remember who loves to turn lives around. God can turn your life around economically too. Don't think that God only takes care of spiritual turn-arounds!

Have a great weekend. Christmas is near! Bucky

The Same Spirit

2011-12-15T06:43:00.001-08:00

Good Thursday morning! Among your messages in the ol' inbox, do you ever get messages from God directed right at your heart? I don't mean that the sender says, "God", or something that would cause your spam filter to boot the message. Sometimes in the devotionals I read, I find answers to questions that I have been asking. If my faith in God wavers, devotionals from three or four unconnected ministries will have verses and words of faith and encouragement for me. If I think about falling off course, devotional messages about staying the course arrive. Take my eyes off the Lord and start looking to the world for help, and sure enough messages will arrive telling me where my sight should be fixed. Of course we know that all ministries who believe in God are not really unconnected. Your pastor may not know the pastor at the church on the west coast sending out the daily message, but the Holy Spirit in your church knows the Holy Spirit at that cathedral down under. The Holy Spirit in me knows the Holy Spirit in you. If we get bombed by messages directed right at the current issue in the heart, we can know that the one Holy Spirit is behind it.

And brother do we ever need it! Staying the course Christ has set before us can be a difficult thing. The wisdom of this world might speak out against all that we do. You may be called to do something that the world considers totally and utterly stupid. Folks with letters behind their names may scoff at your faith. (May?) Friends and relatives may not understand your decision to follow Christ. You might even look back at what God has put in the past and think of how good it looks when things get dark in the present. We all have similar problems with temptation and sin; good thing we all have the same Lord in our hearts! Stay the course, trust in God, and believe in our Lord Jesus.

Bucky

A Home That Cannot Be Lost

2011-12-14T06:03:00.001-08:00

Good Wednesday morning! Ahh, the last few days before Christmas. Will we have a white Christmas this year or just a cold one? "In My Father's house are many mansions; if not, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you." John 14:2 In the past couple of years we have seen that the dream of owning a home can be a fleeting kind of thing. For many folks, one week they had a job and a home of their own, and the next week the job was lost and the home foreclosed upon. The verse today speaks of a home that is not fleeting. A home so permanent that one day God's house will come down from Heaven to be set on the new Earth. A home of such wonder that Jesus left almost 2,000 years ago to begin the preparation. A home so beyond our present imagining that the Son, He who implemented God's Creation, went to do the building himself. I cannot conceive of what that home might look like. We all look forward to that home.

This verse is the basis for much speculation in our Christian learning. However, the important parts are the actions. Jesus would have communicated and kept us informed if the fact were not what He said. Jesus didn't ascend to Heaven because His work was finished, He goes to prepare a place for each of us. Notice the service performed: Jesus is still serving us though we only deserve it because of His own sacrifice on the cross. How many of our friends have said, "Well, I'm moving to Poughkeepsie. I think you'll like it there so I'll build a house for you when I get there." We would never expect such a thing. Houses are too expensive for us to build or buy more to have our friends join us in another town or state. Jesus is going to build a bunch of them! We would like our friends to join us when we find a great place to live, but we don't have the resources. Jesus wants His friends to be with Him forever, and He does have the resources to accomplish it.

One day we will all gather together with God and the Son. None will lose his position, no family will lose their home, and the temptations we face in this world will be thrown out forever. We look forward to those days with eager anticipation and growing joy. Take that hope with you today.

Bucky

The Sergeant Major of Heaven

2011-12-13T07:31:00.000-08:00

Good Tuesday morning! There are so many 'buy-me' e-mails this icy morning that I will get on the devotional first and that other stuff can just wait. Something buzzing around in my head for a couple of weeks is going to come out this morning. In Revelation as John is called up to Heaven, an angel asks a question, but not just any angel. "Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?" (Rev 5:1-2) This is the only place in the Bible that I can find a strong angel. Strong's concordance (coincidence there?) lists a couple of mighty angels later in Revelation, but only the one strong angel. Jesus mentioned twelve legions of angels, not strong angels, in the Garden of Gethsemane. So who is this strong angel? We are given no name, but from my experience in the military I tend to think of this angel as the Sergeant Major of Heaven.

This proclamation by the strong angel is a challenge. We can see that Satan does not answer the question. Certainly John doesn't step forward. And none of the thousands and tens of thousands in Heaven step forward. The twenty four elders remain seated. Even the four creatures before the throne do not volunteer. The strong angel may be Michael, but he is named elsewhere in the Bible and not here. Not only is this angel strong, but he is standing before the throne of God. Whoever is deemed worthy is facing more than a strong angel. Worthiness to open the scroll had better be without the slightest doubt if any creature or angel is going to step forward in this case. When none can be found to open the scroll, John begins to weep. What is so important that an unsatisfied curiosity will cause a grown man to weep?

Of course, we know from our Bible study that this scroll is critical to us. John represents all of humanity as he stands there hoping the scroll will be unsealed and read. The strong angel must give way to the Lamb of God, at this time referred to as the Lion of the tribe of Judah and the Root of David. We can imagine the angel bowing as the Lamb comes forward to take the scroll. Jesus takes the scroll from God's right hand and indeed the four living creatures and the twenty four elders fall down before the Lamb in Rev 5:8. The rest is not history but the future.

Be careful driving today, and trust in Jesus!Bucky

Labor Pains and Grave Cloths

2011-12-12T06:51:00.000-08:00

Good Monday morning! Have you ever thought that you are bearing a child? Some of you will have more direct experience with this than others. However, Paul compared his yearning for the sanctification of the Galatians to laboring in birth again. Since we can safely assume that Paul wasn't comparing this to his experience of bearing children, he must have made the comparison to his own birth pains in becoming a Christ follower. "My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you." (Gal 4:19) Now, Paul wasn't pretending to be Mary, and he wasn't saying that the Galatian Christians would be like Mary in the physical sense, so what are these labor pains about? How many Christians have you known who got saved and never sinned again? Right, not one. We can't even be sure about that one who died right after his confession in faith.

Our salvation is accomplished by Jesus right on the spot, but sanctification takes a bit longer. We have compared this to the grave clothes that bound Lazarus, and now Paul also compares our Christian growth to the pains a woman experiences in giving birth. Not only this, but Paul also felt those pains again as the Galatians worked out their faith in Christ. Those who watch each of us learn and grow in Christ will be reminded of their own pains in treading the path of sanctification. As we grow and mentor others who come to believe in Jesus, we too will take our turn in feeling the labor pains of sanctification even as our own growth continues. Why the metaphors of grave cloths and labor pains? Sin hurts.

We often don't think of those private sins as hurting others, especially not our Christian brothers and sisters. Some might not even think that a public sin of a Christian leader wouldn't affect all of the body of Christ. However, I think that each of us could point out a time when we felt a great disappointment and even a mourning when a news report of some sin in the church reached our ears. When an evangelical Christian pastor sins in Colorado Springs, the body of Christ is affected. When a priest in New York sins, the body of Christ is affected. Why? Christ is affected and we are all connected in the body to our head who is Christ Jesus. Even those private little sins that we think no one else knows about can affect the body because our Lord knows about them. Sounds like a dark day for the body of Christ, eh?

Praise God that like the human body heals from pain, so does Jesus heal the body of Christ constantly. We sin, but we seek forgiveness as we repent of even the smallest mean thought. We heal each other as the sweet savor of our prayers rise before the Almighty One. Christ takes responsibility for His bride and His body by healing and empowering us to obey, trust, and believe in Him. The Savior is not done sanctifying us!

Have a great new week in Christ Jesus! Bucky

That Boat Thing

2011-12-09T06:35:00.001-08:00

Good Friday morning! For hundreds of years the Jews had looked for Messiah. The prophet had foretold of a time of drought. Not a drought of water, but a drought of God's word and that time had stretched for centuries. Why didn't it stretch a bit further? Why didn't Jesus arrive sooner? We don't know. God keeps His own counsel on the 'when' of things in His plan. Much like the years before the star shone over Bethlehem, we are in a time of eager anticipation. The Rapture could happen at any moment, yet we have no way to know if it will even happen in our lifetime. Each day is given to us to use in the wisdom God has granted us for that day. We look forward to another Christmas celebration, but the Church may not be here. At the moment I can hear and read God's word pouring out from television shows, radio programs, Internet blogs, e-mails, Facebook postings, my brothers and sisters in Christ, ministers in pulpits, and even my own copy of the Bible. We have no drought of God's word at the moment. Is this a sign that the end is near or that we can expect another drought of the word soon? The Rapture of the Church could start that very thing.

What if every Christ-one spreading the good news of Jesus was suddenly gone? If you or I had to stay for that, the silence would be difficult to bear. Today we have the opposite problem. There are so many speaking the words of life given to us by Jesus that the world turns to wilful ignorance. Like the ark a-building over yonder in Noah's day, the world must turn away to avoid the truth. The mother of the bride insisted in Noah's time that the wedding be held over the mountain so that, "we don't have to see that awful boat thing". Today the wedding is removed from the church and the minister isn't invited so that the bride and groom can sign an agreement to prepare for the imminent divorce. The similarity sounds a lot like something Jesus pointed out in his prophecy about the end time.

As you speak the words of life to an ignorant world, you may be dismissed by some, ignored by others, hated by many, held in contempt by a few, or even attacked with words or stones. As the ark grew larger, no doubt there were some who wanted to burn the thing to the ground, possibly even with Noah in it. We face that same hatred today. The persecution may be subtle or it may be waiting for God to turn it loose as the final tribulation begins. We must take advantage of this time of relative peace. The end will be upon the world soon.

Have a great weekend!Bucky

Here I Am Not Knowing Again

2011-12-08T07:08:00.001-08:00

Good Thursday morning! It's a strange reversal. Last night, the thought came to me that at one time, I was the champion of science and medicine for all of our ailments. Human wisdom and intellect had all the answers for me and I could save myself simply by knowing enough. Solomon once said that increasing knowledge increases sorrow in a man. I would agree with that, especially if you have lots of knowledge of the current media reports around the world. Knowing too much of that increases sorrow exponentially! However, it seems that now I champion prayer first in all things healing and problem solving. The economy is in the tank; turn to God in prayer. Someone suffering in mind and body? Turn to God in prayer. This is not to say that we should ignore those who spend their lives studying God's creation and learning to heal the body and mind. God has provided these men and women of medicine and science to glorify His name.

As my editor might say, that is a bold statement. Can you back it up? Why, yes, I believe in Jesus and I believe that His word can back me up in this. You know from your Bible study that all things work together for the good of those who will believe in Christ. Paul said it in Romans 8:28. In case I am making a mash of it, here is the ESV quote: "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." Now if you go to one of the intellectuals at a prestigious university, you might find him telling you that he is not working for God and doesn't even believe a god exists. How can this person be working together for our good with, oh, sin for example? I don't know. But God's word says it, so I believe it. Don't you just love the humility and freedom in being able to say "I don't know"?

I don't mean that we should be ignorant of basic knowledge in the world or in the Word of God. We should always strive to learn more from God's word and get an education in school too. But when it comes to the mysteries of how He is going to make such far apart things as sin, atheism, love, hope, belief in Jesus, science, faith in God, and dare we say, creation and the theory of evolution, all work together for our good and His purpose, I am indeed content to say that I do not know. Does this mean that the Accuser is working together with our Savior for our good? I'll bet you won't hear the Accuser admit that. Somehow, God is making that temptation and accusation work together with His mercy and grace for your good and my good. How does He do it? I don't know!

Trust in God, all things are working together for your good! Bucky

A Clear Seeing

2011-12-07T06:17:00.001-08:00

Good Wednesday morning! Considerably warmer out last night and this morning. I don't mean that we'll be throwing the lawn chairs outside and having a barbecue for breakfast, but after yesterday the temp is a big relief. Sometimes a little clarity brought on by a bit of 'worse' makes us appreciate the 'better' more. About ten thousand years ago, or when I found myself chained to a desk in second grade, I gave up on my dream of becoming a fighter pilot. Yup, spectacles, glasses, four-eyes, and all the fun that goes with near-sightedness came into my life. No doubt the teacher, Mrs. Reichart if I can recall back that far, betrayed the sight of my squinting little mug to my parents. The conspiracy then brought in the eye doctor and I suffered the consequence. Those spectacles would be with me in one form or the other for many years. The other form being in several pieces from various youth 'sports'. The spectacles did provide some small advantages in my schooling though, such as the ability to read the board, consisting of slate and chalk back in prehistoric times, and avoid bumping into walls and teachers and such.

Seeing clearly is something we must do when opening God's word. While some of us need spectacles to read and others do not, all of us will find the need for something to make God's word clear to us. In the years of unbelief, I was like that squinty little kid back in the day. I could read the Word up close, but I often failed to see the application to my life. My application needed a certain negative reinforcement in those days. Steal something - get spanked. Lie to the teacher - get spanked. Break things - get spanked. You get the pattern. What God wanted from me is to believe in His Son, Jesus Christ, and obey out of love. We can all be trained up to avoid the rod, but we need some spiritual spectacles to read the Word clearly.

Belief in Jesus brings to us the Holy Spirit. The Spirit reminds us of the Law by making clear what it is God wants us to see in His Word. As an unbelieving child I read God's desire to punish me and I trembled. Later in my growing years I would feel the guilt of having violated pretty much everything in the law through thought or deed. Without the Spirit, I still couldn't see clearly the grace and mercy in the Word, so I ran away from the church for a time. Through some eye-opening events in my life, the lost sheep got turned around and saw... Jesus! As a believing person, bought and paid for by Jesus at Calvary, I can read of God's love for us and embrace His law as right and good for me. God did not take delight in punishing Israel. He wanted His people to return to His tender care through worship and praise. God is not waiting in Heaven for the next sinner to step over some final tally of sin so that He can punt the little reprobate over the lake of fire. God is not willing that any of us should perish in our sins. Through the Spirit, I can read of forgiveness, mercy, justice, righteousness, grace, joy, peace, and of course, God's great love for you and me.

Rejoice in God's love today!Bucky

A Planet?

2011-12-06T06:49:00.001-08:00

Good Tuesday morning! It's a good day to use that 'c' word again. Below zero and way below freezing, welcome to the day. Good news in space today, NASA may have discovered a planet like Earth out there in the cosmos. The question might be: How soon can we get there? For those of us who grew up as science fiction fans that has always been a tantalizing dream. What if someone is already there? What if no one is there? Looking at some of the conditions around this planet, one would have to wonder if we should be allowed to touch another planet. Does this mean that we have some sort of manifest destiny to spread the good news of Christ to this other planet? As we can see the fact that such a planet exists raises more questions for which we do not have answers. Once upon a time I would have been lining up to help us get there, preferably as one of the crew or passengers. However, the good news of Jesus has been given to us here. We have it now in our Bible and in our hearts through the Spirit. I don't need to travel to a planet in outer space to find some new answer or new life.

Did you ever wonder if Paul meant that we are to be content with our current world too? No dreaming of reaching the stars in space ships. No other worlds to seek out. Seems a bit dreary. The speed of this world has made me ill-suited to thinking about space travel. A couple of years just to get to Mars? Man, I have trouble sitting in a car for more than an hour or two. The last four-hour flight in a commercial airplane was a unique torture that I would rather not repeat. Whoof! I just opened a shade to look out at the cold, cold world and a blast of icy air smote me a good one. Even the sun seems to be getting up slowly this morning. I do feel for all of you with vehicles out in the cold this morning. I pray your cars will start and the heaters will get going quickly.

Stay warm in Christ! Bucky

Given God's Word

2011-12-05T07:06:00.001-08:00

Good Monday morning! I think I have the right description for this morning. Cold pretty much sums up the conditions outside right now. From the weather forecast, I suspect we will be using that word a lot this week. We live in an area of the world where our coldest weather often occurs right before the official start of winter. We can also experience a 70º day on Christmas day as well. The strange days of extreme cold or heat have been happening out here for a lot longer than global warming has been fashionable. However, we also know that global warming is a world-wide effect and not something that happens locally. Yup, that is how I meant to write that last sentence. There are times that we read or watch something in the news, walk outside and take a look around our house, and then say that it can't be true because, "It ain't happenin' here!"

Chances are that sometime today you will see or hear something that fits a notion you have rattling around in your head about how things are going. It is also likely that you will hear or see something soon that goes against that notion and you might dismiss your notion, dismiss the new evidence, or even, just maybe learn that our notions and theories fall short of the view we need. Some of us have this problem of adding up what we know and coming to a total that we think is a higher percentage of all there is to know than is correct. That last is a difficult way of saying, we know less than we think we do. I'll admit it right now: I know less than I think I do. But in one thing I will take pride in what I know: God knows everything there is to know. Some folks would call that a religious belief and not an actual fact that I can know. I will respectfully disagree with that.

When I surrendered to Jesus, the word of God was given to me. Anyone can pick up a Bible and read it, but only to those who believe in Jesus is the Word given. Now that I have the Word of God, I can know many things the world only assumes to be religious beliefs. Does that mean I have everything right and correct each time I read God's word? No, I still fight some of those notions and theories from the old days when I was smart in my own estimation. God's word is at times quite simple and obvious, and at other times quite deep and mysterious to me. Even the verses that I think I know well can suddenly have more meaning in light of new experience. The Christian life - a learning experience where we plumb the unfathomable depths of God's word, and love every minute of it!

Glory to God in the highest! Bucky

What Happened?

2011-12-02T06:38:00.001-08:00

Good 'n Cold Friday to you! Oh yeah! Single digit temps and sun on the white snow; it's December baby! Even the grinchiest must feel a bit of that Christmas cheer and hear the sound of Christmas music by now. Whoo hoo! The first Friday in December. Praise the Lord and pass the hot coffee! I'm too chicken to even go out for my paper this morning. Only one problem with that...today is trash day, and sooner or not much later I will have to go out and set the dumpster by the curb. Eh? What do you mean it warmed up overnight? Actually, the thermometer says 20, and the weather channel says 17. It was 8 when I came home last night. What happened? Things change on us without our knowledge or will. You and I may think we have some knowledge or, dare we say it, a little bit of control over things, but what do we really know? How little is under our control?

If you have pets, you have some idea about how little is actually under control. If you have kids around, you probably realized long ago that nothing much is really under our control. When my word goes out, it just kind of goes out. When God's word goes out, things happen and His word does not return to Him empty-handed. God is in control; me, not so much. The world says to believe in yourself. Evidence and experience causes me to ask, Why? The Bible says to believe in God. Evidence shows that is the way to go. What evidence? Why the evidence of His holy word, the Bible. Jesus commanded demons to depart and they did. Jesus desired the healing of the lame, the blind, and the sick, and those conditions were healed. If I command something in my own strength, nothing much happens. When God commands in His strength, the action cannot fail to follow the word. Who should I believe in? I do believe the Bible has the right and proper answer to that! Praise God for His holy word!

Bucky

A Moving Pressure

2011-12-01T07:18:00.001-08:00

Good Thursday morning! The snow and cold have arrived with the start of December. Right on schedule! I see one of those headlines today that makes me wonder. Often we can see the end of a political candidacy when the candidate suddenly spouts a statement or two that just makes a person pause to ask: "Did he really say that?" Some statements stand out so much and insult so many people, i.e. voters, that no amount of damage control or public apology can salvage the election. Yes, there may indeed be someone in America who can be labeled as stupid, but guess what? He gets to vote!

In a pressure-filled situation, you or I might do the same thing at some point. The pressure may become so burdensome that prayer even seems to provide no relief. In such a situation one of us may simply attempt to pull the plug. We might say something insulting to the boss, a career-killer kind of statement. We might write a note or e-mail that can only have one outcome - the termination of the situation. The words might not be in anger, insulting, or sinful, but the end has been spoken. At first, we might be ashamed of our action, but could there be a plan involved, perhaps even a plan of God's own doing? In the first century, God used persecution to scatter the Good News of Christ around the world.

The first century Christians were centered in Jerusalem, but the pressure of persecution became so great that the people had to scatter. At first the action may have seemed cowardly or shameful, but it may also have been the only way that God could get the people to move where he wanted them to go. Paul wrote some great words from prison. Probably not his ideal situation. I'm sure he would much rather have written from a nice balcony at an estate overlooking the Aegean Sea. Of course, we might have today some epistles that read like travel brochures to a nice resort, not quite pictures of the Christian suffering we face. God may have a plan for the pressure in our lives, a plan that will turn to our good.

The plan may be that we stand against the pressure and endure, or the plan may be that we move out from under the situation. You and I are not called to hold up the planet; Jesus takes care of that with his command. We are to follow where Jesus leads, but sometimes our Lord may give us a push from the backside to get us moving in a new direction. We tend to cling to what we know, no matter how difficult the situation has become. A new life may await just over the side of that rut a Christian is holding onto right now. I have experienced a couple of those pushes in my life, and I think most of you will be able to recall similar times in your own life. A push up and over the side of a rut may hurt a bit at first, but God has our good in mind and will never leave us.

Have a wonderful cold day!Bucky

Comfort in the Greater

2011-11-30T06:39:00.001-08:00

Good Wednesday morning! Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. Did you ever stop to think that the person or being that is in the world might be someone other than the Devil? We know the greater He is the Spirit of God in our hearts, but could this other he be a she? That animal nature that we call the flesh could also be the he or she that is the lesser in this world. We might also be confronted by powerful men and women who are in this world. Men and women who might not have our best interests in mind or want to persecute us because of our faith in Christ. There are many he's and she's in this world who will seek to oppose Christ. Even our own sinful and animal nature opposes our walking in the righteousness of Jesus. We stand against all of these influences by remembering the greater He.

Jesus also told us that He has overcome the world. Jesus gave to us the Holy Spirit, the Comforter to comfort and advise us. We may stand surrounded by foes, but we stand with the very Spirit of God within our hearts. We may not even realise which 'he' is opposing us at the moment, or maybe even all of them at once, but we do have our strong tower, our fortress in the time of storm. Martin Luther didn't write up a song about a mighty fortress because he thought that he could stand in his own strength. David didn't write up the psalms that insired hymns because he could stand alone. God didn't give us His Spirit because we have the ability to stand on our own. We have battles within and without, but greater is He that stands within us. Take comfort in the Holy Spirit this day.

Bucky

Lawlessness

2011-11-29T06:07:00.001-08:00

Good Tuesday morning! Okay, the holiday shopping madness is over for the year...what do you mean, only just begun?! It seems kind of odd to us that all of the madness of Black Friday and Cyber Monday is only the beginning of the holiday shopping season. People have been hurt over the last item in the store on Christmas Eve just as often as the first item on Black Friday. We can bemoan the cold material heart during what should be the warmth of Christmas, or we can spread some warmth ourselves to combat this coldness of heart we see. Shine a light out into the darkness! Shine the light of Christ to those most in need of it. Some will flee farther into the darkness, that is true, but we must continue to shine for Christ.

I'm guessing that by now you have heard the tales from the past few days, so I won't repeat them to darken the morning. One thing we must remember is that Jesus did warn us that the love of many will grow cold in the last days. I think the verse is Matthew 24:12 - "And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold." Let's see...quick check of Blue Letter Bible and, yes, I am not quite right as usual. I remembered 'will increase', but Jesus said 'will be increased'. A minor difference or something profound? What I remember would be prophecy enough, but the words of Jesus speak of a bit more. For lawlessness to be increased speaks of an outside pressure or opportunity, such as a breakdown of civil government. In our case, perhaps because someone foreclosed on it. I'm trying to make light of it, but it isn't all that funny. One day we might be surprised how quickly things get lawless even in the communities we think we know.

This week in our life group Bible study, we begin the part of Revelation where we start to find out what will happen in the end. Oh dear! How bad does it get? Very bad... for the world. For us? We have a great hope arriving soon and all the lawlessness of the end times cannot stop Him from coming for us!

Love your neighbor today!Bucky

Held Up For the World To Gloat

2011-11-25T06:39:00.001-08:00

Good Friday morning! Whew, I have waded through the "Black Friday" e-mails and sent them where they belong. One small victory to start the day! For those of you already out enduring the lines and traffic, you have my sympathy. Practice your patience and lovingkindness this morning! How did your Thanksgiving feast go yesterday? I couldn't eat the evening meal. There just didn't seem to be a need for it. Sounds like what the Thanksgiving feast is supposed to do. My thanks also to Ric and Cheryl for hosting the feast this year. I saw some others going on around my neighborhood too. Other neighbors had obviously gone somewhere to share Thanksgiving dinner and perhaps the traditional football games. Did you see our famous Husker alum get ejected in the Detroit-Green Bay game? Not a good thing at all.

Whether his actions have been misinterpreted as he claims, or the result of his losing control of his emotions, we can take a lesson from that. The players in the NFL are trained to play with emotion and use emotion. However, this can backfire when emotions get out of control. Large, physically-powerful men can do a lot of damage even to each other out on the football field, let alone what might happen if you or I wandered out onto the playing area. How does one control his or her emotions before we do damage to another person?

The first answer that we can all use and should use is prayer. We must pray for control of our own emotions. Self-control is one of the fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians. We can also pray for others, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ. Now if someone is calling on 'the man upstairs' as our football player did yesterday, then I very much want to pray for him. As Christians we can make mistakes in ways the world loves to point out and hold up to gloat over. It is sometimes amusing and sometimes tragic that Christians are expected to model perfect moral behavior at all times, and yet we are the ones who have admitted before the cross of Jesus that we are sinners and need the grace of God! Pray earnestly for our brothers and sisters in Christ. You never know when one of us might be next in line to make a mistake in front of the world.

Enjoy the holiday weekend! Bucky

A Day of Gratitude

2011-11-24T06:01:00.001-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving! Today we give thanks to God! There are many possible devotional subjects each day, but on this day I must write of gratitude. One way to show how much we love our God is to thank Him. We should strive each day to show our gratitude spontaneously, but how does one develop a talent that does not come naturally? As sinners we find that gratitude does not come easily. On the other hand as followers of Christ, the Holy Spirit will grow His fruit in us as we grow in Christ. Gratitude to God is one of those fruits of the Spirit that will grow and grow as we are watered with the living water.

In place of launching into a lengthy lesson on gratitude, I will take today to simply be thankful. As the Holy Spirit grows this gratitude in me, I want to show off my gratitude more and more! I am thankful for what I have, but even more thankful for who I have in my life. I am thankful to God for who I am, but even more thankful for who He will make me in His own perfect time. I am thankful to God for the love of Jesus, and even more thankful for the love that saved so many. Although I struggle with it daily, I am grateful that God does not see me as a problem to be fixed, but as a person to be loved.

Perhaps that is my lesson for this day of thankfulness: to see my brothers and sisters in Christ as persons to be loved and not as problems to be fixed. What is more, to do the same in my very own mirror.

Thank you God for this day of gratitude!Bucky

Just Before Thanksgiving

2011-11-23T06:31:00.000-08:00

Good Wednesday morning! Well, the holiday of giving thanks to God, not just giving thanks as I hear too often in the media, is upon us at last. People are traveling already to visit relatives and friends, turkeys are being stuffed, deserts prepared, and pumpkin pie season is open. The bag limit on pumpkin pies has been raised this year; you may hunt them to near extinction this weekend. We celebrate the day, but we also celebrate the reason for the day - expressing our gratitude to the Almighty, our God and our Provider. What a great day to put God first in our hearts and just give thanks to Him. A lot of work goes into Thanksgiving, both in preparation and in earning the provision, but without God all of that would not be possible. In giving our thanks, we also acknowledge that we are dependent upon God alone in this life.

God has provided to us the ability to work and earn money. We buy our Thanksgiving stuff with that money. We prepare the stuff with more work that God has provided us the ability to perform. And finally we sit down together to give our thanks and enjoy the feast. Did you ever think that enjoying the feast is also a form of giving thanks to God? How rude would it be to sit down at a feast provided by God and start a fast right there on the spot? Your human host would be upset at such treatment, and I'm certain that God would be too. Thank God for the feast and enjoy!

Have a wonderful and happy Thanksgiving!

Bucky

Pray today for those enduring difficult times and tough decisions.

Not Worthy, so I Take it out on Poor Will

2011-11-22T06:06:00.001-08:00

Good Tuesday morning! With coffee mug empty, I greet thee this fine dawn. I wonder if Shakespeare ever started out that way? Perhaps not. Behold! The light doth passeth the window pane; the muggeth be emptied into the man! In humble jest we do mocketh our forbears; in laughter we doth taketh our easeth. Hoo boy, hook up the generator to old Will Shakespeare, his body in the grave would generate a potent current this morning. Some mornings when I sit down to write, other than having my first cup of coffee, I am not sure where to start. Often I begin in prayer, and when nothing comes right away I turn to clowning around with words. Shakespeare fans might wish that I wouldn't-est, but there it is.

Last night I heard a small anecdote about a profound lesson. The lesson was simply: Jesus loves me. This I know. For the Bible tells me so. Just the first lines from the childhood song we learned so long ago. What does the Bible say to us on this and why is it so profound? God hates sin; we are all sinners. Sin incurs a penalty and God's justice demands that penalty be paid. Jesus came from Heaven to pay the penalty for us. He rose again from the grave after paying the penalty for our sin on the cross. God loved us so much that His Son died to save us. Only the greatest love can explain the cross. Jesus loves me. This I now know. For the very word of God tells me the entire story of God's great love for those who will believe in Jesus Christ. We deserve eternal death, but Jesus bought us eternal life.

When I examine myself, I don't see a person worth God's love. But the proof has already been written in the Bible, God's own word, I cannot deny that fact. Therefore, I am only made worthy through God's love in Christ. Not from any deed or thought of mine does God love me. His love I cannot earn; His grace is freely given. I am unworthy, but Jesus did not base his actions on my worth. Jesus loves me; this I will claim!

Enjoy the love of Jesus today,
Bucky

The Superpower of Prayer

2011-11-21T06:17:00.001-08:00

Good Monday morning! Thanksgiving week is here! You may need a superpower to be thankful on a Monday so have some prayer this morning. That's right, the one superpower that we all have immediate access to at any time of the day or night is the power of prayer. Does that mean a simple mention of the name of Jesus will get us anything we want? Not necessarily, but sometimes those "I wants" don't seem quite so important when we bring them to God in prayer. Many a time I have found something I thought I wanted oh-so-bad to be not that important after a little bit of prayer about that thing. That 'thing' has never been limited to material possessions either. The thing might be the desire to see a person to tell him something that day. A little prayer does not make the person any less important to me, but the meeting might be able to wait for a day or two as the Holy Spirit reminds me to consider the situation of the other fellow. A bit of selfishness does sometimes keep our prayer from rising as it should.

Selfishness in prayer is a bit like a heavy lid on top of the bread pan. Why won't that dough rise? You pop off that heavy lid of selfishness and find that your bread dough has been trying to rise and is in fact all squooshed up against the lid. (Heh, I got to use 'squooshed' this morning!) The superpower of prayer is muted by our selfishness. We cannot take off and fly in prayer when the dumbbells of selfishness are strapped to our feet. Selfishness in prayer is a long list of 'I wants'; super power in prayer is asking God what He wants. Selfishness in prayer is all about me; super power in prayer is bringing up the needs of that other person. Each of us will have supplications to bring before God. Not a problem with that, but maybe those requests can wait until after we listen to God or talk over the spiritual condition of a loved one with Him. We have access to this superpower, but we don't always use it well.

Sometimes when I am in pain of some sort, i might send up a prayer that is all about my hurting. I can imagine after those times the Holy Spirit making intercession for me and telling God, "He really isn't as selfish as he sounds tonight. It's just that he is caught up in the pain of the moment, sir." We do have an advocate in Jesus and an intercessor in the Holy Spirit. Our prayers, imperfect as the one making them, do not go to God without the influence of the Spirit within us. Want to think in terms of your superpower? Remember that when you pray, you and the Holy Spirit are praying to God together. You are listening to God with the Spirit, making intercession for others with the Spirit, and making supplication for yourself with the Spirit. How can God not listen to His own Holy Spirit? Prayer, the super power we all have in us!

Be grateful for today in Christ!

Bucky

Imagination Beast!

2011-11-18T06:39:00.001-08:00

Good Friday morning! Walking in a forested area, far from the noise of civilization, you stop breathing the air. Wait, no, that should be: you stop, breathing the air. One little comma missing and suddenly you're a goner. The forest surely is a dangerous place! One time I was pursued through a forest by a killer squirrel. That isn't what my imagination thought the noises were of course. I had visions of pursuing bears, mountain lions, and maybe a stray yeti or two. Little noises in a quiet place can take on a whole new meaning. An imagination can be a treacherous beast too. Some of the most hair-raising and pulse-quickening moments in my life have come purely through an assault on me by my own imagination.

An imagination can be like living with a partially obedient lion. Sometimes I get together with my lion and produce stories of fiction that are fun to write and fun to read. At night I ride my lion through a dream world. Other times the lion is feeling peevish and rips me to shreds with visions of spooks, dangers, pain, and other things that will never happen. My lion is not by any means a tame beast.

God has given me a rich imagination. Because of Adam's curse, that imagination doesn't always serve me well. It's kind of like my relationship with God. I do well sometimes, but other times I rebel. I want to do what is right all of the time, but sin seems to be always ready to pounce on me. That isn't quite right either, because I am the one who decides to sin after entertaining temptation as an honored guest instead of fleeing from or resisting it as I should. Sin doesn't really pounce on me, it sends temptation to knock on the door first. I open the door thinking maybe that it's Jesus again, but he is already inside warning me to send temptation packing. I am like the overly polite host who cannot say 'no'. "Let's see what he has to say first!" Temptation is like that pushy salesman of course and he immediately shoves a foot in the door and spreads out a nice brochure to accompany his fast talking. The more I listen to temptation, the more likely it is that Jesus will be forgotten in the kitchen while I entertain temptation out back. That is about the time that temptation convinces me to let Sin in the door too. Fallen once more.

Like many things in this fallen world: money, possessions, jobs, and time, to name a few, a good imagination can be a good servant, but it makes for an evil master. An imagination can help you craft a good song or a fun story, but it can also place spooks in the closet, boogies under the bed, and the worst possible scenarios in your head. Let Jesus be the master, we all gave our lives to Him, and let the Master teach us how to control that imagination beast.

Have a lovely Friday in Christ Jesus!

Bucky

A Prayer Over Anxiety

2011-11-17T07:46:00.001-08:00

Dear God the Almighty One,
Please forgive me for coveting imaginary terrors,
from a future I cannot see,
from a past already written,
and a day not yet begun.

Forgive me Lord for not trusting in your strength,
and for leaning on the weakened crutch that is my own ability.

Thank you, Lord, for guiding me and growing me
in your wisdom and discernment.
Thank you for turning anxious thoughts
to praise and joy for my Savior and Comforter.

Bring on the day as I sing songs of your glory
and think thoughts of the glorious future
you have written for me and those whom I love.

In the precious and powerful name of Jesus I pray
Amen

It's God's Fault!

2011-11-17T05:55:00.001-08:00

Good Thursday morning! Did you get up blaming God for something today? I did, and I kind of like it. I'll give you a moment to gasp and wonder when the smiting will come down upon me... Okay, I told the Lord that it was His fault that I am not the same as I used to be. Praise and glory to God the Almighty, but I have been changed over the years as I have come to know Jesus more and given over those parts of my old life that still cling. You can say the same thing if you believe in Jesus. We can 'blame' God for changing us to be more like His Son. The world does not know us anymore. We also don't understand how the world cannot see the light of Jesus shining in the darkness.

The self-improvement programs I start all on my own and in my own strength seem to go nowhere. What I have tried to change is still the same. Of course, I try to change the outside. God works from the inside and His work goes forward. My work tends to go forward a little, turn around, jump off the tracks, halt, back up, and end up right back where I began the work. If I were a sword, I would jump into the fire too soon, jump out because it felt too hot, burn whatever I landed on, jump in the water before my metal was ready, and succeed only in making a useless lump of metal with all sorts of scorch marks on it. As we know, God is the master craftsman and Creator. If God wants to make me into a sword for His kingdom, then I will be made into the perfect sword. Best to let Him do the crafting in His perfect time.

You know it, and I know it, but we also know that I keep trying to tell God how to get the job done. Imagine the sword shouting up to the master sword maker, "No, no, this way, do it this way! I feel too hot! No, not in there!" Whatever will cause me to learn to let God change me from the inside with changes that will last? When will I learn? I guess the answer to that question will arrive at the same time that I learn to give the self-improvement up to God and leave the improving to the One who knows all.

Enjoy the new day in Christ!

Bucky

Gratitudes!

2011-11-16T05:51:00.001-08:00

Good Wednesday morning! Praise unto the Lord, our God and Savior! As we approach Thanksgiving, I like to recall as many gratitudes as I can. I see that by the spell checker that 'gratitude' has no plural. I disagree; we should be able to have lots of gratitudes and bring them all before God! If you wonder how the English language got so messed up, this would be one clue: writers messing around with words until a person trying to learn American English has no chance of understanding what we are talking about. On the other hand, many of our wonderful words would not be with us if our ancestors had been too conservative with the English language. So as the holiday of grateful attention to God's blessings approaches, I might just take the time to list my gratitudes on paper!

Have a grateful day in Christ!

Bucky

No Hovering Allowed!

2011-11-15T06:09:00.001-08:00

Good Tuesday morning! Today we float down over Peetz Place and hover over the home of Marla and Jeff: world-famous agent and supposedly retired person respectively. The home sits on a partially wooded lot and is in the style of a California bungalow from the 1920's. However, we don't know what is going on inside that home. You might be familiar with the furnishings, all of us might be able to guess at what is going on from the time of day, but we don't absolutely know what is going on there. As Jeff reads this we might be able to see the phenomenon called the 'creeps' beginning up his spine as he realizes that several dozen people are hovering outside his home trying to stare into his privacy. We might even chuckle a bit as he drops his coffee mug on his slippered foot. Ouch!

Okay, so we can't really hover over someones home in an effort to find out what they are up to on a cool autumn morning. We assume that our Christian brothers and sisters are not actually plotting our ruin in the privacy of their homes. I can write up a little Twilight Zone kind of intro to a story, but I cannot know as God knows what happens inside of homes unless I go in, preferably through knocking and an invitation to enter. Even if one of us goes into our friends' homes, we cannot know what is going on inside their hearts. Is he thinking, "Gads, where did these people come from? How soon can I get rid of them and go back to the football game?"? Hmm, I'm thinking, "How do you punctuate a quoted question?"

The point of the fun and games, other than to point out my lack of punctuational professionalism of course, is to point out how much God knows about each of us. You can stand outside of my home and stare in all you like, but you will not be able to see everything going on inside (nor would you want to). We may get a sense of shame in realizing that God can see everything, but we shouldn't. God created us. He knows more about us than anyone. The little cellular processes going on all the time in our bodies are known by God. If you or I were to suddenly become aware of every little process keeping us alive right now our minds would be overwhelmed with the knowledge. Yet, all of it, the good and the bad, the righteous acts and the sin, that is known by God does not prevent His love for us.

God loves you; love Him back!

Bucky

Religious Fundamentalist Extremist Nut!

2011-11-14T06:37:00.001-08:00

Good Monday morning! Did you enjoy the sudden wind on Saturday night? The wind snapped a little sign in my yard right off at the ground. Things fell over outside, downspouts hit the deck with a bang, and sleep fled far away for a while. Thoughts of that castle tempted me once more... do you suppose anyone would build a genuine stone castle for a couple hundred bucks? Probably not. The house held up, though at times the sound gave cause to fear otherwise, but I began to think about the things we think are solid in this world. Economies are apparently all tied together now. If one country goes bust, the media delights in telling us that ours will too. Governments appear pretty much dysfunctional all over the world and, lo and behold, it seems that families are too. We eat too much of this, too little of that, our strength is too weak, our speed too slow, our height to low, and our depth too shallow. Just give up on the world, ain't no sense in being here on a Monday anyway.

Wow, I kind of sound like one of Garfield's totally miserable Mondays. Ha, ha! I know that I am too little or too much of many things the world considers precious. I wonder how long those standards will hold up when the Tribulation arrives and God decides to knock down so much that the world believes to be strong and lasting. The end times of this world are all about removing the false hopes of the world and bringing in the final hope of Jesus Christ. University research labs will have no solution to a plague of demons; wealthy athletes will not be strong enough to outrun worldwide judgments; and the strongest buildings will be flattened by enormous earthquakes. Who or what will the world believe in then? I wonder if God will line up His judgments on Mondays? That's kind of a mean thought. Shame on me for thinking of that on a Monday before you all go in to work. So why am I snickering over my coffee?

Obviously, I believe that the predictions in the Bible are going to happen. Does that make me a religious fundamentalist extremist nut? To some, well, yes, they would put me in that category. Before we get to the dire judgments poured out in Revelation, we get to a promise that God is not willing that anyone should perish. Love comes before judgment, and we know that God's judgment is sure and certain. What then does that make God's love?

Make your choice, the time of the end is soon!

Bucky

Good Veteran's Day!

2011-11-11T06:18:00.001-08:00

Good Veteran's Day to you! Goals are important; goals are fine, but God is in charge of me and mine. At times we may come to realize that a goal is not going to be met or perhaps is not even possible for us to fulfill. The day we set the goal we knelt down in prayer and asked God's blessing on our goal setting. We listened as the Holy Spirit guided our steps, and we set that goal. Now, months later, that goal looks impossible. What went wrong? It may be that nothing at all went wrong.

We do not know all of God's ways and plans. It seems odd to say it from my worldly trained point of view, but there may be times in your life that God's goal for you was only to go part way down some path to a goal you set. The lesson God wanted you and me to learn may not lie at the end of our goal. We grow up with the thinking that every goal must be met, every dream is possible (in our own strength no less!), all the riches and fame will come to those who work hard enough. Then the childhood dreams, the teenage goal setting, and the idle wishes begin to fall one by one. What did that child do wrong? Again, perhaps the child did nothing at all wrong.

When we come to Christ and give up control of the life we have so bounded by goals, dreams, and wishes, He may have different plans for us. Plans that are not bounded by what we think is possible or even necessary to accomplish. One command of Jesus comes to mind: "Abide in me..." Just abide, that's all? My dictionary has an old use for abide: live in a place. Simply live in Jesus? There it is. No list of what must be done today or tomorrow. No long range plans or grand goals; just abide in Christ.

Goals are good and plans are great when we bring them to God. We will accomplish great things in Christ as we live in Him. However, if that one goal you cherished is not going to happen, or just seems like it may not happen, remember that Jesus the Christ has not changed. His love for you and me is still of overwhelming potency. His grace has not stopped working like one of our machines. His faithfulness is still what we can fully trust in. Praise the name of our Lord Jesus!

Bucky

Ceremony and Beginning

2011-11-10T06:11:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday! Today is the 236th birthday of the United States Marine Corps! We like stable things: nations that have been around for centuries, buildings that have lasted for decades or more, people who have been around for decades... Okay, sometimes we forget to appreciate the old folks. But we do like some stability in this chaotic life. How much do you appreciate the cross today? We don't know exactly when some Romans cut down a couple of trees and made one particular cross, but we do know that Jesus died on that cross. The wood of that same cross has probably long since rotted away, or perhaps God is saving it for a place of honor; but honor and remember the cross we do.

The cross did not at first become a symbol of the Christian faith. We started out with the sign of the fish, as in fishers of men. The fish went out of style so much that you might at first be mistaken for a fan of fish fishing when you wear the fish sign these days. The cross took over about 3 or 4 hundred years after the time of Christ. The cross is much older than many of the things we celebrate, such as most nations and organizations. The cross is not as old as some things like the pyramids of Egypt, some other nations, and your mother-in-law. However, how much the cross has aged is not the point. What happened on the cross is a part of it, but who died on the cross and rose again from death is more important still.

As I get older, and that seems to happen to most of us, I find a better appreciation for stability and other old things. I can remember trying to find ways to get out of celebrations and such when I was younger. Standing around for a ceremony, especially when ordered to do so, seemed like such a waste of time. These days a proper ceremony seems to be needed to commemorate these things. The ceremony might be just one or two of us, or even a few more, or something with thousands that I have to watch on the telly, but a ceremony is a good thing. A few important ceremonies will come our way soon. The holy day of Thanksgiving when we take a special day to show our gratitude to God; the Christmas holy day when we remember the birth of Christ, and the day of Christ's resurrection that we call Easter.

On some days we remember the end of something, like we will on Friday for World War I, and other times we remember the beginning like we do at Christmas. The cross was the beginning of something too - the day when our sins were paid for by Jesus and we became free to accept the grace of God. That is quite a beginning!

Bucky

Feel a Bit Whiney?

2011-11-09T06:56:00.000-08:00

Good Wednesday morning! Bright, sunny morning here; the storm missed entirely and now we can enjoy the aftermath without the math. Sounds just wondermous! The roof is finished and the cats have calmed down once more. I think that the valley of death's shadow must sound like six men with hammers pounding on your roof with no sense of rhythm or melody. The cats would agree with me on that one! The wood frame construction of the homes we have does not lead one to substitute words like 'fortress' or 'castle', nope just ain't gonna happen. A man's home is the one that creaks in a stout breeze? Nope, doesn't have the same ring to it. Yet we count ourselves blessed because a thatched hut would stand up to even less, and a bed on the bare ground is not good even for sleeping most of the time.

A blessed life is a contented life. I don't mean that contentment that comes from tallying up the disadvantages either. Realizing or rationalizing that a castle is not desirable because castles are expensive to heat is not really contentment. Not wanting a bigger house because bigger houses are too much to clean is a poor kind of contentment too. How are we to become content then if finding disadvantages to some other situation is off limits? We can start with God. Are you content with God? I kind of feel guilty for even writing or thinking such a thing! However, I know that God is quite above my little questions. I cannot make our Lord any less than He is simply by asking the wrong questions. How can you and I not be content with the Almighty, all-knowing, all-powerful, all-present, and all-wonderful Creator of the heavens and the earth? Well, He gave us the curse and it is so hard to live under.

God took care of that too! Salvation, freely given by grace through faith in Christ Jesus, is ours for the asking. We didn't earn it, can't buy it, don't have the strength of will to achieve it, and are in all ways unqualified to even claim it. Yet, Jesus died for our sins that we might have it freely. Complain against God? Shame on me for even having such thoughts in my little brain! Yet, God will answer our complaints, even those that we shouldn't have, and gave us His Word that we might read of other times when our heroes of the faith didn't feel or act very heroically. Paul didn't like his thorn in the flesh and wanted God to remove it. Peter probably didn't like putting his foot in his mouth several times, and he might wonder if we need to tell that bit about the rooster and the three denials in so many sermons. In our lives we might think or do the wrong things at times. We might even come up with a major whining complaint against God at some point. Don't try to hide it; bring it before God and let Him answer the charge. Above all, let the Holy Spirit comfort you. Jesus didn't send the Comforter because we are going to feel good all the time.

Have a blessed day in Christ, and listen to the comfort of the Comforter!

Bucky

The Island of Despair

2011-11-08T05:37:00.001-08:00

Good Tuesday morning! The island of despair, have you ever been there? I heard another sad story on the radio last night and once again it had that thing in common. The one the devil very much wants us to think about our own particular problem or condition - no one knows what this is like but me, poor pitiful me. The 'It's only me' symptom has been used by despairing folks for as long as problems have been around I'm sure. I have used it before. You may have too. The devil wants us out there on that island of despair wailing about how alone we are. How the devil must have whooped it up when Jesus said those very similar words on the cross. But... then... Jesus gave up his precious soul to who? God! Out on that island of despair we too have a realization. Jesus has not left us alone. Though the friends in this world seem to have gone off their own way, Jesus is here! When even the spouse you love seems to be ignoring the problem, perhaps because you are hoarding it, the Savior knows all about the problem and is there with comfort. Alone? Never!

The words of Jesus, a promise to hold tightly: "I will never leave you nor forsake you, even unto the end of the age..." Have a great day with Jesus!

Bucky

An Odd Dance

2011-11-07T05:39:00.001-08:00

Good Monday morning! Another winter storm headed our way this evening. The bulk of it is supposed to go further south, but be careful just in case. Hmm, how many just-in-cases have you already pondered this morning? Some of us have a love of anxieties that exceeds even human reasoning. We fret about things that might happen, imagine things that won't happen, and even throw in a few things that might have happened in the past had this or that gone a bit differently. The latter one is the most ridiculous of all, yet we tend to entertain a few visions like that. Praise God that His Holy Spirit is developing a stop sign in my mind.

You might call this stop sign discipline, or self-control, or the control of Jesus in my life. All of these relate to the same thing: the fruit of the Holy Spirit that is growing in my life. When the diabolical self tries to descend into that maelstrom of anxiety, the big stop sign is held up. I believe that I am getting better at holding it up sooner in the process too. Do I give myself a pat on the back for this? No, the glory and credit belongs to God in this. I am powerless on my own to stop these things. Much like a person with a phobia, I need intervention at the perfect time. And who better than the indwelling Holy Spirit to teach me this self-control!

You may have a phobia yourself, or you know someone who has one. I am not talking about fearing spiders more than bees, or height more than depth, but the real full-blown, flee-the-room kind of phobia that is more uncommon. I have come to realize that doing an odd version of the funky chicken dance when a bee or wasp takes a strange interest in me is not all that uncommon. Stopping suddenly or even immediately and taking an involuntary step back when first seeing a snake is probably a good cautionary reaction and not a phobia. Some folks suffer from real phobias. A spider in the room can cause immediate flight or a snake on the ground can cause a panic attack. The fear reaction is much more than it should be; we might even go so far as to call it unreasonable, though there may be a good reason in the person's past. This anxiety thing is much the same, unreasonable and much more than it should be.

On the other hand, I have come to think that shame does not need to be added in to do its insidious work. All of us have grave clothes that need to be given up to the Holy Spirit and laid at the foot of the cross. Jesus has raised us from the spiritually dead and now we need to stand and let the command of our Lord be carried out. You know the one, Jesus said it to those watching Lazarus hobble out of the grave bound in his grave clothes: "Release him and let him go!" Stand and let the Holy Spirit release you from the grave clothes of your past life. Phobias, anxieties, bad habits, dependencies, worries, and much more must be given up in favor of our new life in Christ. And if you see me doing an odd dance outside sometime, just know that some buzzing insect caught me off guard, or maybe its just part of some new fad workout I'm trying.

Have a wonderful and blessed Monday!

Bucky

Why Do We Do That?

2011-11-04T06:07:00.001-07:00

Good Friday morning! Just learned last night that someone is not coming to see us as planned. No problem then, two weeks of devotionals about treachery, betrayal, breaking faith, and general wimpyness coming up! Just kidding, we all have obligations that at times will interfere with what we want to do. You may hear sermons that tell of what God wants us to do, slaves of (or in) Christ, bond servants and others that don't sound like a whole lot of fun. We tend to come before God expecting that what He will want us to do will rank right up there with grazing out of dumpsters or sleeping in the pig pen. Why do we approach our mission in that way before we even know what the mission will be?

Imagine that a young man has grown up with a particular talent for playing the piano. He not only has received the best training, but he also very much enjoys what he does well. One day the young man receives Jesus into his heart and asks that question we all ask - what now Lord? However, in this young man's mind is the dreadful thought that surely the Lord God Almighty is going to assign him to the hammer testing line at a local factory. He even prepares for this by meeting the old hands, or at least what's left of them. Stumpy, Lefty, One-hand Joe, Paddle-fingered Pete, and the entire crew are glad to meet the new prospect. You might think this completely ridiculous.

Surely the young man is listening to the whispers of the Devil. God would never train up a young man like that and then destroy his talent in that way. We don't know everything that God may or may not do. The young man's talent may be the pride that stands in the way of his sanctification. What is more likely though is that God has a use for that piano player. Perhaps he will play in a far country where music has not been heard. He may, horror of horrors, actually be called to continue on doing exactly what he loves to do, only now he will do it for the Lord's glory! Don't laugh, you have probably feared something very nearly as ridiculous as that little fiction of mine. I know I have fallen into this temptation.

Trusting in the Lord may lead you into doing something for a living that you very much enjoy doing. Now there's a thought for the day!

Bucky

Admitting the Truth

2011-11-03T06:48:00.001-07:00

Good Thursday morning! Oh my, ice on the windows, cold on the outside, it's like winter here this morning! Have you ever denied the truth of something in this life? Coming to the Lord to admit that I am wrong can be a tough thing to do. It can be especially tough when the wrong-headed thing has gone on for a long time. For some months and perhaps years now, I have told God that I didn't want to do something. I have repented in words and asked forgiveness, but yet I still say that I don't want to do this anymore. So why do I continue to do it?

First, I realized just this morning that a part of me does want to do this. You might recall the words of Paul in Romans 7 on this subject. Why did I think that I was better than the great apostle? I must first admit to God that a part of me does indeed want to do exactly what the spiritual part of me does not. C.S. Lewis defined three parts of man: the spiritual, the animal, and the diabolical. The animal is where the desires are for sex, eating, sleeping, and others that we call natural wants and desires spring from. The diabolical is that part that wants to rebel against God's law. The spiritual is the part that realizes that something is missing from us before we are saved in Christ. After salvation, when the hole in the spiritual is filled by God's Holy Spirit, the battle begins in earnest.

The animal desires are in themselves not good or evil. When the diabolical part of us teams up with the animal to produce adultery, fornication, gluttony, greed, and so on, we end up in sin. The spiritual can also team up with the animal and we can enjoy a social night with friends, have sex in marriage, earn money to provide for the family, and other actions that are not sin. The hard part can be admitting our imperfection to God and saying that we do have these animal desires the same as the sinner down the block does. I want to be perfect before Christ now! But I must come to God and admit that I am not.

Honesty in our prayers can be undermined by the diabolical in us. Admitting to God that I have the same animal desires and diabolical rebellion that everyone else does is the start of healing and cleansing. I cannot cleanse myself, that is the work of God's Holy Spirit, but admitting the truth opens the doors to those locked rooms in my heart that need the Spirit's cleansing touch. The diabolical nature in me where pride dwells might try to tell me that I am better than that, but God's word tells me that I am not better than anyone else. We all need the salvation of Christ and the sanctification of the Spirit!

Go with God today,

Bucky

A Light

2011-11-02T06:26:00.000-07:00

Good Wednesday morning! Trying to get past the almost painful whiteness of the new G-mail compose screen. Ouch! I'll have to check into dimming that glow just a bit. That kind of makes me wonder how dim my glow might be. Has my initial flame in Christ kind of sputtered a little? How can I tell? We don't want to be like the church that became lukewarm, but how do we measure our spiritual brightness? This may not be something that I can see on my own. Can a flashlight measure its own light? Unless the light is reflected off something else, the light has no way to tell how it is doing. This may be related to the question of why we need each other. After all, wouldn't Jesus alone be sufficient? Do we need to walk with anyone else?

If I shine my light at Jesus there is no reflection; I only see His great light. Jesus does not reflect our glory; we are made to reflect His. I must shine my light out into the darkness. Once in a while, I will see my light reflected. We meet our brothers and sisters in Christ at times and then we can see a reflection of our lamps. Other times we might see a little glimmer as the Good News is received by a person lost in that darkness. We hope to point that person to the true Light of the World.

There is a lot of metaphorical stuff going on in the devotional this morning. I hope that I don't lose myself in it. As Christians we have been made clean in Christ. A lot like the new snow, we are white and cleansed by our Lord. However, the snow under the cloudy skies is much easier to look at than that same snow when the sun shines on it directly. The closer we get to Jesus, the more our light will shine. So much that the world may one day have trouble looking at us so bright will be the light of Jesus in our faces. Stephen, the first martyr, became that way just before the world stoned him. The world wants to shut out that painful Light, but let us go forth and shine!

God be with you!

Bucky

His Strength, not Mine

2011-11-01T05:36:00.000-07:00

Good Tuesday morning! Yesterday I wished you a happy Halloween. Today, with much greater feeling, praise God it's over for another year! Late in the evening one in a veritable parade of little Scream ghosts came trudging up the sidewalk. Moving slowly, head down, obviously worn out, if they had used this one in the movies no one would have been frightened in the least bit. By that time I was dragging a bit myself. Just before that, one candy-grabber had commented how tired of walking he was, but I noticed that he had not stopped yet. This morning I had the thought that at the end of this life we should be in the same shape. Dragging slowly over the finish line, obviously worn out, but still going as long as any unsaved persons remain. We just cannot stop while we have life and breath left in our poor old bodies. Doesn't that just sound easier for kids to do?

As we get older, working to the point of exhaustion just seems to be so much less desirable. Nothing is worth that anymore, certainly not a bag of candy. The body doesn't recover as quickly; the pain in the joints seems like it will never heal. Praise God there are other ways to serve the Kingdom! If salvation for the unsaved depended upon a bunch of older Christians running two marathons each day, the unsaved persons would probably be doomed. Only in God's strength could any of us run one marathon tomorrow, much less two. Wait a minute... maybe that is the key, God's strength. We see how much God's strength is needed in that absurd example, and yet why do we think that our faltering weakness is the only thing that holds us to the narrow path to the promised land? Jesus doesn't walk beside us just for the conversation, ya know!

The only way to finish this race strong is in Christ. Your strength, my strength, it ain't gonna happen! We need to have the Holy Spirit in us, Jesus beside us, the hand of God upholding us to finish this race. You and me do not have it in us to finish or even go in the right direction when we depend only on our own strength. We need Jesus and we need Him all the time. Praise God that His strength is made glorious in my weakness, because I certainly have plenty of that!

Have a wonderful new day in Christ!

Bucky

Happy Halloween?

2011-10-31T08:26:00.000-07:00

Good Monday morning! I feel like singing 'It's not My Job Anymore'! Someone may have used that for a song title at some point in history, but I don't recall hearing it. My song may never make the Billboard Top 6,000 list and my caterwauling may not put the X in the X-Factor, but I feel like singing it anyway. Monday morning and more cold is on the way. November is on the way too, so I suppose that kind of fits with the cold. Happy Halloween! "Gasp! How dare you put that in a Christian devotional!" I know. This is one of those things that some Christians have a problem with, even to the point of denying the little spooks and spectres their candy treat. What are you putting into the day? I am not celebrating the creatures of the night and I have no problem giving out candy to children; after all they might as well have the opportunity to get fat like me. I did replace my door chime this year to get rid of that nasty clanking the old one had. The cats appreciate it. Do I accuse those brothers and sisters who have a problem with Halloween? Nope, t'aint my place to do that anymore. Besides, why miss the opportunity that Halloween provides? Little kids at your door with bags open, slip a real treat into the bag. One of those little New Testaments, some tracts (an idea I heard last week at Life Group), along with the candy treat perhaps? The kids may not realize the real treat isn't the candy one, but one day one of those seeds may blossom.

In Christ we have gained freedom from the penalty of the Law and from the slavery of sin. We still have our animal desires and our diabolical nature from before, but we are no longer in chains. From that I can think of a few things that are no longer in my job description. A being already bears the title, accuser of the brethren (and sistren), so we don't have to run to God in our prayers with accusations against our brothers and sisters in Christ. You have never done that? Never spoken a prayer something like, "Please Lord convict old so-and-so because I saw him going into that place and you know what goes on in there..."? Hmm? Never been caught praying something like that? Good for you; I have, and while I may have known what went on in that place when I was with old so-and-so, I don't know for sure what he did in there after I became a child of God and stopped going with him. My attempt at disguising the accusation might not smell so sweet to the Lord.

What else is no longer in our job description? Vengeance! We see it in our culture and in our media. "You have to stand up for yourself; you must get even. If you don't take care of this, he/she/they will just come do it again!" We are to defend what the Lord has given us, but that does not speak of feuds and wars and the vengeance the world loves so much. God gave the command, "Vengeance is mine saith the Lord. I will repay those who deserve it!" As new creations in Christ our Lord, we no longer have to follow and carry out that desire for vengeance we feel. It isn't in our job description now.

We should not feel the need to compete in our new job. Paul used several sports metaphors in his epistles, but we are not competing against our brothers and sisters in Christ. In straining to reach the prize like the Philippians we don't reach over and snip the drawstring of our brother's girdle of truth. "Whoops there, brother! I have to win that prize!" Not so! We are in this race together with Jesus our Lord. We do our utmost to help each other through prayer and supplication, service and sharpening, and above all, love. That cutthroat competition the world loves so much is no longer in our job description.

You can think of many other things the world cherishes that no longer fit the job description of Christ-one. We are new creatures in Christ. Live like it!

Bucky

The Imperfect Cake

2011-10-28T05:47:00.000-07:00

Good Friday morning! So my first attempt at a German chocolate cake did not come out perfectly. First of all I haven't learned to make a homemade frosting yet, so the the cake had store bought frosting, and then I didn't have enough, so it had two different kinds (and colors!) of frosting on it. Well, shiver me timbers, matey! Do you suppose God loves me any less for that little bakery faux pas? For a bit I even argued with myself about taking the cake to the pot luck, but then what about that verse where we are commanded to humble ourselves? We all want to show off only our best efforts, but if we seek to show only perfection we will never show anything. Do you suppose Gideon worried about perfect form and appearance when he went into battle for the Lord? Do you think Paul made Luke write several drafts of every epistle before he sent the letters to the churches? At one time I would have said yes to that last one, but I am not so sure.

Did Paul pause to think and get his words straight before committing them to paper? Yes, I certainly believe that, but several drafts and rewrites? Perhaps not. Paul wrote from the heart and he wrote in the Spirit. I'm sure that Paul also wrote after prayer and thanksgiving with God. What if Paul had Luke read the letter to the Romans back to him and then decided that it wasn't perfect, better to keep that one for himself? We might not have one of the best books of the Bible, one called by some "The Christian's Constitution". We might not have the blessings we find in Romans. Just think of how many sermons and books would never have been spoken or written without the Letter to the Romans!

An effort may not meet your standard of perfection. It is often interesting to think that we think we know what perfection is, and that somehow with enough effort we can somehow achieve this perfection... even though we know very well that we are imperfect and fallen creatures. If God baked the perfect cake, would it look anything at all like any cake ever baked? Could we recognize perfection sitting on the kitchen counter? Would we dare taste of the perfect cake and thus diminish it by so much as a mouthful? And if once tasted would we then spend the remainder of our short lives in a fruitless search to duplicate that perfection? In so many efforts we kinda sorta do just that. Maybe we should just let God be perfect today and trust in Him.

Have a wonderful Friday!

Bucky

Quiet Time

2011-10-27T07:08:00.000-07:00

Good and cold Thursday morning! Just over 20º outside and the snow has stayed on the grass for another morning. Snow kind of brings to mind... Christmas music! If you didn't fire up the Christmas tunes yesterday, what exactly is the problem? Oh, ho, ho, it's fun to be a Christmas music nut! For some, yesterday came as quite a shock. After working almost non-stop for months, the roofers suddenly met a big stop sign. For the rest of us, it was kind of strange not hearing that roofing noise all day. The sun is just coming up and we are supposed to warm up pretty good today. Yak, yak, yak... is this a Christian devotional or some kind of chat blog? Harumph! Someone guzzled all the coffee in my mug too. Must have been the cat.

Shh, hear that? No, not the roar from the furnace vents or the sound of people going to work this morning, but the sound of busyness in your life. What is that? Are we created for constant busy, busy, noise and racket? Adam and Eve came to life in a garden, not a factory. God knows about our needs and how we fulfill some of them through work. But are you getting alone with God and having that quiet time each day? I know, you have so much to do and so little time to do it. I have been there. I have also felt the emotional and spiritual accumulation of crushing debt. We owe our God that quiet time each day for our own good! When we don't get that time alone with God, the debt begins to pile up. When that pile of debt falls over, we end up with anxiety, stress, depression, and all the other mental illnesses we experience in this busy, busy life.

I want to start on my writing first thing each morning, or I want to workout first thing, or do something that seems productive first thing. What if I don't get that thing done first thing and then I put it off until I don't do it? That is exactly what had been happening to what is actually the most important thing in my day - quiet time with God. By putting all those other things first, I ended up reading the Bible and praying for a few moments in bed at the end of the day where I often fell asleep mid-thought in my prayer. You have heard the command from Jesus. I'll even give us all a hint, "Seek first the Kingdom of God and its righteousness..." If you are an old-time Bible reader, you might recall the King James which starts, "Seek ye first..." Well, I am a 'ye' too, and I need to put first what needs to be first, seeking the Kingdom of God.

Since having a quiet devotional time each morning before I start my work, my book writing has taken off once more. Ye olde seeking first seems to worke very well! Is my Bible study and prayer time the absolute first thing each morning? No, I have to roll my carcass out of bed first. I also read e-mails, including devotionals, write my own devotional, have breakfast, and feed the hungry cats, not necessarily in that order depending upon the level of racket coming from the felines. Tuesday, I even went down to breakfast at the restaurant before the study time. God didn't smite me for it. Some folks are very religious about rolling over in the morning and grabbing their Bible, good for them. For me, that doesn't seem necessary, but doing my quiet time before sitting down to make my living writing novels does seem to be what God wants. Perhaps seeking first means that we put it first in our lives and in order of importance, but not necessarily first in chronological order in the morning.

We receive the command from Jesus, and we get guidance from our pastors and brothers in Christ, but the main thing is to listen to what God is telling you! How do we learn that? Well, you might try seeking Him first to get the answer on that. Your quiet time could be later in the evening. And I think we can all see reasons for putting time with God before prime time television!

Have a wonderful day in Christ!

Bucky

Never Alone

2011-10-26T03:55:00.000-07:00

Good Wednesday morning! I love Jesus! Some mornings I wake up early, other mornings not so much, but Jesus is always there. If I were to rise at just past midnight, I would not catch Jesus in his night cap, yawning, and wondering what in the world I am doing up so early. If one of us should need to call on our Lord late at night, we would not find him already gone to bed with a "See you in the morning!" sign on the bedroom door. If we awaken suddenly from a most frightening dream, we will not find him gone to check on someone else. Though we may be called on the carpet before the big boss, a simple prayer is all it takes to reach out to the One who never leaves or forsakes us. What a great Lord and friend we have in Jesus!

At times we may feel that Jesus is far away from us. How could our just and perfect Lord stand to be near all that sin? The sins of the world bore down upon our Lord as He died on the cross. Would it be even the slightest inconvenience for Him to stay near during our moments of sin? Certainly not! Disappointed though He might be in our actions, never will He leave us. Remember that the sin did not catch Jesus by surprise. If He wanted to forsake us, He could do it long before the sin arrived. The promise of Jesus to never leave nor forsake even one of us does not have exceptions. Look around, look up, seek forgiveness, cry out for mercy, our Lord Jesus is right here with you and me. Face the terrifying moments and cry out for strength and help from the Lord; he is there ready to lend His might and power.

In Christ we can truly say, "I am never alone!"

Bucky

He Kneels Down?!

2011-10-25T06:36:00.001-07:00

Good Tuesday morning! Everything seems to be going well, or at least tolerably well, but something is creeping up on you. Something in your environment that doesn't seem to bother at first, but later, maybe much later, you begin to notice that things are not as they should be. Happened to me yesterday in fact. The roofers arrived at the neighbor's house yesterday and the noise didn't seem to bother me until later in the evening when things were suddenly out of whack. The cat was trying to sleep in a place she never sleeps in, then both cats were up on the back of the couch, and a feeling of general twitchyness, to coin a word, seemed to come over all of us. I realized that after several hours of that hiss-whack sound, I was more than ready for the roofers to be done and move along. Of course this leads into the subject for this morning.

We often think that temptation is always this very bold frontal attack. We are going to see it coming. Our full armor of God will be up and ready; the shield of faith facing the enemy, and we have it all under control. However, two of the metaphors in the Bible speak of prowling (like a lion) and fiery darts. Of course we are all ready for that bold frontal attack, if that is all that is coming. But so often the temptation is a shot from the bushes behind us. The darts fly thick from the sides and from behind, and slowly some of them get through the armor. We are ready to duck the cannon ahead, but we miss the little dart from the rear quarter.

You are fully prepared to stand strong against the devil worshipper in the black leather suit with the big, silver skull on his chest, but here comes the philosopher with the Ph.D. in Religious Studies saying something that just sounds right. You want to agree and you know that you should check with the Bible first and the Holy Spirit is practically screaming, "That ain't quite right!", but the pressure is on and you want to look smart too! ...and suddenly it seems that the Devil is standing on your shield of faith laughing at you again as you lay there defeated by sin.

Our Lord has the victory, but we don't always win the small battles. Just when it all looks the very worst. Jesus himself arrives to pick you up. He tells the Devil, "Git!" and he goes. Jesus hands back you shield and then reminds you of the lesson learned. One time it might be to go to the Word first. Another time it might be to flee the temptation. Still another time the lesson might be to stand on God's Word that you already know. The war is won, but the battles can be hard on us. The lesson that we forget the most, might very well be the most important: call upon Jesus first. In the context of our metaphor that seems a rather strange tactic. The knight stands as the arrows of the demonic hordes begin to fly, but instead of gripping the shield and sword tighter... he kneels down?! Yes, in the military context that Paul often used our tactics may seem strange. Like Jesus on the cross, we may seem to surrender before the fight has even begun, but there is victory in Jesus!

Have a wonderful day in Christ,
Bucky

How Much Don't I Know?

2011-10-24T07:29:00.000-07:00

Good Monday morning! Did you ever feel the urge to just pray for everyone? We don't always know what is wrong or right with someone far away. A person or family may be going through the valley of death's shadow or they may be going through a time of calm between the trials we all face in this life. Once upon a time we tended to say that no news is good news. Apparently letters only carried bad news at the time that saying was coined. What a dreadful thought! However, with today's almost instant communications no news is simply no news. No news can make us wonder, and wondering we may allow our minds to go in the wrong direction. The question for today is: Do you have the faith to trust God when you don't know what is going on?

Actually, that question could apply to most everything in the world these days. A quick scan of the news channels or websites might leave any of us wondering what in the world is going on. So do you trust God when you don't know what is going on? Absolutely! If you believe in God, then you believe what His word has to say about Him. We learn from God's word that his thoughts are higher than our thoughts like the heavens are above the earth. We learn that God knows our deepest thoughts and all that goes on in the world. We also learn that God knows exactly where this world is headed and exactly when it will get there. Even better, God knows exactly when to expect you and me at the pearly gates of Heaven or if He will see us waiting as He comes down from Heaven to make His home with us here on the new Earth. We will always be full of 'I wonders', but God knows. We may not understand all of His prophecies, but God has told us much of what will happen, particularly in the end times. We will always want to know more, but not all knowledge is good for us. If we can trust God with all that He knows, we can also learn to trust God with all that we don't. At least for me, the amount that I don't know seems like a lot most of the time, and that only includes what I know that I don't know!

Praise God for the work ahead of us today. May we learn much from it this day!

Bucky

The Dummies Guide to Perfect Living?

2011-10-21T06:13:00.001-07:00

Good Friday morning! Last night after our life group lesson, we somehow got on the subject of pastors and priests and such. Growing up, some of us had made assumptions about pastors and priests. On the other hand, we were also encouraged to these assumptions by various teachers and organizations. By now you have probably come up hard against those assumptions in your life. Pastors and other clergy are not infallible; nor are they paragons of virtue, possessors of the unfailing dummies guide to perfect living, or holders of the lifetime manual of every answer. No matter how much we might want them to be those things.

In fact, just the night before the pastor had described the desire to sin so well that I thought someone must surely have taken him aside and instructed him. How else could a pastor know the feelings and desires leading up to sin? What I wanted him to say was something like: "At about the time I had been a Christian for this many years, I stopped having feelings of lust. I found that all I wanted was my wife and haven't looked at another woman with lust since that time. A few years later, I found that I was no longer tempted by money, and wouldn't you know it, it has been more than two years since I have fallen into any kind of sin!" Of course, he didn't say anything of the kind. His description of sin appeared to come right out of personal experience. From a pastor? Say it isn't so! Well, we must say that it is so. For him, for you, for me, and for everyone who has ever trusted in Jesus to save them from sin and unrighteousness.

We don't grow into a free pass on temptation. The Devil will never give up on trying to trip us up. The stronger a Christian becomes in the faith, the more forces of Hell and the world are joined in battle against him or her. And sadly, as we have seen in just our lifetime, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. We also ran into the assumption that all clergy are saved and firmly believe in Jesus Christ as the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Not so.

Pastors receive a lot of attention. On Sunday in many churches across the land the pastor will have an uninterrupted floor to speak his mind. While hecklers will heckle a stand up comic, and other politicians will try to shout over their rivals, the pastor has a time all to himself with an attentive (for the most part) audience eager to hear what he has to say. This attention can be like a drug and it draws those who have not given their lives to anything more than fame and fortune. Fortune? Oh yes, there are fortunes to be made by preaching the Word of God. While most pastors serve in a church with less than 200 members and are by no means wealthy, quite the opposite really, there are some who hit the big time, and that is what they got into the ministry for in the first place. Sure, we know this now and are watchful for it, but we all know that it was at one time much easier to fool us.

Christians need other Christians, but we need the Holy Spirit more. We need to look and listen, and see and hear, what our clergy is showing and saying. Some of that fruit is rotten, and much as we don't like it, the spoiled fruit must be cut off from the assembly of believers. Do I know of a specific example? No, and I am not going to start up a witch hunt, but we do know that some of what we have been led to assume is not the truth. By the way, that goes for devotional writers too! Go to your copy of the Word, check the fruit. I can tell you right up front that I'm not perfect, sinless, righteous through my own effort, and I don't have all the answers to the questions of life. I would very much like to get hold of that dummies guide to perfect living, but I can't seem to find it... oh wait, maybe that is just one of the working titles for the Bible that God discarded before it went to press.

Have a great weekend in Christ Jesus!

Bucky

Questions Without Answers

2011-10-20T06:48:00.001-07:00

Good Thursday morning! A spider outside caught a big 'un today and the big 'un was not at all pleased. I did manage to get the paper, but sheesh! Now I can enjoy the phantom web syndrome for a while this morning. In your Bible studies and sermons, have you ever run into a question that just didn't seem to have an answer? If your question were a web, the answer might be the big 'un that just tore right through it, leaving you with nothing and a torn web. We had a question like that last night, and no, I cannot say that I have some thorough, satisfy-everyone, answer this morning. There will be times in our walk with Christ that we will not have all the answers. Whether it is from being too immature in the faith or that the answer is simply one of those burdens that Christ himself must carry for us, we may not receive a satisfying answer in this life. I am sure that there are many questions that arise from our Bible reading that we must simply believe and accept without full knowledge of what God is thinking.

We can recall that verse where God tells us: "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so aremy ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:9 Just as we cannot reach up and touch a star, so there will be times that we must simply put faith in front and obey what we may not completely understand. We do have a desire to learn and understand, but we may not always get what we want. If we could pause for a moment, go into a trance, and actually see our home in Heaven under construction, we would have no need for faith. You might ask why we don't have any input into the floor plan of this heavenly home. As the verse says, God has higher thoughts and ways, so who better to build without our limited and earth-bound input? And how do we know God isn't taking input from us?

We must take a lot of things on faith in this life. Learning to let God take care of these things is best for us and best for all involved. Try to imagine a small fraction of all the change orders that would arrive at the offices of Heaven's Construction, Inc. if we each had control of building our home in Heaven. We might never have the Rapture. We can ask what our home in Heaven looks like, but the answer will only come when God brings us there. A lot of questions will be answered when we see Jesus. Until then, mix the fruit of the Spirit into a nice smoothie and enjoy!

Have a wonderful Thursday in Christ!

Bucky

Even a Cup of Water

2011-10-19T06:46:00.001-07:00

Good Wednesday morning! The world is frosty and cold this morning. Praise the Lord for autumn! Do you feel small today? Not small as in your physical size, but small in the way of being noticed and, dare we say it, acknowledged for your efforts? The awards at your work place always pass you by, yet the boss says that you are doing well. You serve and serve, but no one gives you a "Well done! Good work on that project!" Does it seem that your faithful service even in the church is being taken for granted? You may be correct!

Often in this fallen world our efforts and service go without gratitude or award or even the slightest notice. You have probably run into the boss that says things like, "Service is its own reward!" or "Your paycheck should be all the reward you need." You can probably add some dry old sayings to that list as well. Perhaps a paycheck should be enough for doing the job, but we don't always feel that way. That money that is owed for work done doesn't always seem to satisfy the emotional need. One might well wonder that if we could earn our salvation and God owed us a ticket to Heaven like we get paid on Earth, would we be satisfied?

God has set up a reward, a treasure chest, for us in Heaven. We are not always going to receive praise or reward here in this life for a job well done. We cannot touch our reward in Heaven; gaze at it on the mantle, or show it off to friends here in our earthly life. No one in our circle of friends may even know that a reward has been earned, but the reward is still there and will be satisfying in that sweetest of ways that only God can provide. The world may not notice you, but God is right there with you always.

We are acutely aware that God sees every sin, even the ones we try to hide. However, do we also think on the fact that God is right there noticing and rewarding our least service and most selfless act? Jesus told us this very thing. In Mark 9:41 and Matthew 10:42 Jesus assures us that even a cup of water given in His name will receive reward. Your service is not forgotten! God knows and your reward is safe with Him!

Have a wonderful day in the name of Jesus!

Bucky

Time Each Day

2011-10-18T06:35:00.000-07:00

Good Tuesday morning! I like the white shingles they used on the roofs up the street today. The funny thing is that I don't recall them being white the day the roofers did the job. Yes, we have the morning frost today. Colder temps expected tomorrow as well. The house has pretty much shed any residual summer heat too, and, oh brother, does it ever feel like it this morning! I noticed yesterday that trying to warm myself with hot liquids such as coffee and tea holds one major inconvenience. But at least all those quick trips serve a warming function. I wonder if the heat going in is greater than the heat going out so to speak. It might be easier just to turn on the furnace. Heh, heh, this is the time of my resistance, but sooner or later I will have to warm up the house or go into hibernation. So far the hibernation thing hasn't worked out for me though. I wake up each morning hungry, or I'm woken up by something hungry, and the day begins. But what opportunities would I miss by hibernating through a day?

One opportunity for growth in the Spirit is in spending time with God and His Word every day. We have all been reminded that we need personal time devoted to God each day, but so often we forget or let it get pushed aside by something else. "I'll get to it later" often turns into "I won't forget tomorrow, I promise!" Suddenly the old fears and worries have taken over once more and we find ourselves incapable of putting action to our faith. Believe me that I am reminding myself as I write this; it isn't just about those of you out there who find yourselves in that very situation. Our time with God must start in the home and we must be faithful about it!

The time we spend in Bible study with a church leader, the times we gather together in our study or life groups, and that time each week we spend listening to a professional pastor, all help us grow in our walk with Jesus. However, once or twice a week does not do it for us like a faithful time every day. The world has a big claim on our time. Through work or school or sleep we spend a lot of time not talking with or listening to our Father in Heaven. We need a close personal relationship with our God and we need it now! Sorry, but let us remind each other one more time - spend time each day meditating on God's Word and in prayer alone in your 'closet' with the door shut.

Reminding each other about God is a good and faithful thing for us to do! Have a great day in Christ Jesus,

Bucky

The Arrogance of the Experienced

2011-10-17T06:23:00.000-07:00

Good Monday morning! It's raining! What a pleasant surprise to wake up to this morning. Rains at this time of the year can be a bit on the cool side though. Dangerous times in the neighborhood: the young man across the street just got his first vehicle to go with his new driver's license. Time to keep off the streets for a while!

We joke about first time drivers, but often we neglect the arrogance of the experienced. Some of us get in a mode of driving where we think we have it all under control. Statistics do help with that as fewer accidents happen with drivers of a certain age range. However we should never get so comfortable in our driving that we fail to remain alert and responsible. Our Christian walk can be much the same way. We get a little experience, we learn some of the Bible, and we start to get accustomed to the beauty of God's saving grace and begin setting aside any thought of our own goodness. We can also start to get over-confident or even prideful in our 'look how far I've come' assessment of our own condition. We need God's grace every step of our Christian life until God brings us home. We need His mercy and forgiveness. And we need above all to remember that we have an Adversary who very much wishes our downfall.

Yesterday, I heard a pastor give a rundown of what a comical figure Satan has become to our modern world. We should not believe any of that for a second. An over-confident Christian is ripe for the plucking, and our enemy is just the one to do it. We must have confidence in our Lord and His Holy Spirit, but we should never be over-confident in any ability we possess (or just think we possess). You might say that we can get so confident that we neglect to put on the breastplate of righteousness one morning and stick our own big chest out instead. Just what the Devil is looking for too, and he will shoot a few arrows right into that over-confident breast of ours and drop us right to the ground.

The strength of any Christian is no match for the Devil and his demons. The strength of God is more than enough. Which one we choose to abide in is, of course, ours to choose. I think that we might just want to abide in our Lord and count on His mighty strength to shield us. I know that my strength is never enough. Now to remember that all the time instead of after the Adversary has brought me low again and again.

Praise the Lord for the new day!
Bucky

It Will End!

2011-10-14T07:42:00.000-07:00

Good Friday morning! Oh, the pain and suffering! Oh, the despair and meaninglessness! Why would anyone want to become a Christian? We know that it is not all that way. However, by picking out only certain passages from the Bible, a person could get the impression that the way to all manner of pain and despair is to give your life to Jesus. Yes, we do suffer in this life, but we also have a Savior who walks with us every moment. Some of us do seem to suffer constantly and we wonder how that brother in Christ can ever stand to be in his body. We might wonder why this sister in Christ doesn't get the relief we think she deserves from God's healing. We might not know what we are talking about in such cases too!

Suffering is difficult as the curse brought on by Adam's fall does lie heavily on the land. But Jesus has given us some things that don't quite match up with the doom and gloom view of becoming a Christ one. When a certain child was born in Bethlehem, the angel gave us some good news: "Fear not! For I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people!" Later the heavenly host sang a benediction: "Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, good will toward men." If we have peace from the heavenly host and we have good tidings of great joy from God's messenger, and we have God's good will, then it can't all be about suffering and pain. God's good will is better than any treasure we might find upon this earth.

We may suffer for a season, but God gives us the strength to bear up and stand for Jesus. Some do suffer more than others, but God is not blind and will remember their suffering. The entire span of our life here on this earth seems so long now when suffering comes. However, this life will seem so very brief when we look at eternity. The choice is: do you want to spend eternity suffering more than you are now, or do you want the Lord to dry every tear and take away all pain forever? The Bible has much to say about the joy of living in Christ and the peace that Jesus gives. The Bible is good news and Jesus is the Savior! There is good news too in the verses that tell us the suffering will end!

Praise God for the new day!

Bucky

Under Attack!

2011-10-13T06:59:00.001-07:00

Good Thursday morning! Sneak, sneak, sneak, sneak... the suspicion comes upon you, grabbing your attention, extending your imagination into visions of arguments, violence, and injury. Why does our mind play these little stunts on us? How often has the argument or fight you imagined actually happened? Does the mind have some help with this? Indeed there are forces arrayed in battle against us, and this sneaking little attack does appear to be one of their favorite tactics. If the Devil can get you or me to live in the fear of our own minds then we may never take to the field against him. We also have the selfishness of our own diabolical nature that tells us to imagine the worst that could happen. Sometimes we even imagine the worst that couldn't possibly happen. The question might come up from this: what does the Devil fear in us anyway? We are so weak in our own strength and wisdom that you would think he has nothing to fear from us. Could it be that we have a power in us that the Devil fears?When Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to live in us, he did not do this without cause. We need the Comforter and we need an adviser in our spiritual walk, but we need more than this. We need a spirit that lends power to the Word of God when we swing that spiritual sword. We need a spirit that energizes our whole armor of God to resist the attacks of the Devil. We need the Spirit who gives us the strength to endure those attacks from inside our own mind; the attacks that come from the rebellious and fearful imagination. We need God's Holy Spirit to live in us. You believe in Christ, rest assured that He has sent the Spirit to you just as He said.We are in the fight of our lives. From the time you gave your all to Jesus, you have been under attack. You are not alone though. Jesus said that He would never leave us and this is so important in our spiritual battle against the Evil One and our own diabolical nature. We are attacked from within and from without, of course we need God's help! We are set up to fall from the moment we tell God, "I can handle this." Each of us must abide in the Spirit and in the Word of God. Our weakness brings God glory. Realizing just how weak we are is a part of our growth in Christ. Praise God for His powerful Spirit in me and in you. I need all the help I can get, and I'm pretty sure that you do too.Don't go it alone! Trust and obey God.Bucky

Humiliated?

2011-10-12T06:26:00.000-07:00

Good Wednesday morning! What did you do back in the day? I know you did something especially humiliating. Probably something that you cannot believe everyone else has forgotten about. In your daily life, something else will trigger that memory. The humiliation returns in all of its pain. You wonder whatever could have caused you to commit such an embarrassing act. It is likely that I cannot even guess what this act might involve. What embarrassed you back in the day might seem like small potatoes to me. If I related some story that makes me squirm with embarrassment even now, you might wonder what the big deal was and why I am even bothered by it. On the other hand, if either of our incidents involved the police, lawyers, and news reporters then we might well understand the other person's problem. We all have things in our past that we would rather not have reviewed by a committee, or worse, by the public in general. Even if the committee would unanimously agree that the incident was a 'so what' in their opinion, we recall the emotional pain and suffer with it for a bit more. What if all of those awful incidents in your past could be just erased? Deleted from the common consciousness and especially from your own? At first that seems a bit far-fetched, if not downright impossible. But that is exactly what God says when He forgives our sins.

How can God, who knows everything, just forget completely about our worst moments? Many of those moments involve some of our worst sins (at least by our crooked estimation) too! How far is the east from the west anyway? Of course, the Lord is not talking about some circling of the globe. If you go east, you will never get west. That is how far God puts our sins away from His memory. You and I cannot easily forget things, except for those things we really want to remember that is, but God can choose to never again recall a sin we have committed. That is just amazing to me.

Imagine the worst thing that has happened in your life. Right, we don't have to imagine it; the worst things in our lives we cannot forget. The second worst things that happen to our Lord are when we rebel against Him. That is called sin. The worst thing was when He went to the cross to pay for all of that sin of course. When that sin is forgiven, God puts that event so far away from Himself that He cannot recall it. If we bring those forgiven events before God again, He not only does not recall the sin, but tells us to give it to Him. The Accuser does like to parade our worst faults before us. When that happens, give them to God once more. You and I certainly don't need to add past pain to what we have to endure each day!

God loves you and so do I; have a wonderful new day in Christ!

Bucky

Giving or Scheming?

2011-10-11T06:20:00.001-07:00

Good Tuesday morning! Do you think you need more to give more? Too many times I have caught myself claiming that I have a generous heart and then wishing that I had more loot to give away. We have all seen the extremely wealthy comment on how generous they are based on how much they give away. Being a large donor is a privilege of wealth, but does that giving merit the same treasure in Heaven as the widow and her two mites? Not hardly. Any of us could afford to be generous with great wealth. I can claim to be generous when I give when I cannot spare it in my human wisdom. Giving from a full purse is easy. Giving away the money for your last meal with nothing in the bank and no income in sight, as the widow did at the temple as Jesus watched, now that is generous.

We all have a long way to go with our generosity. We figure and plan, account and count up, but how much do we trust in God really? This is not an easy question to answer! Certainly it would be easier for me to counsel others to give away all their worldly money and possessions than to do the same thing myself. We look at the scriptures and see how the Jerusalem church sold or gave away all they had, but then needed to be bailed out by the other churches. Would it be right for one of us to give away everything and then accept money from our Christian brothers and sisters? Is that what Jesus would call 'carrying your own cross'? Tough questions for a Tuesday morning; I think I am hurting my poor little brain.

I don't have all the answers, but I do know that at times I feel the temptation of trying to earn my way into the Kingdom of Heaven by giving. This is different from showing my faith by giving in that it attempts to put God in obligation to me, which we know is not Biblical at all. God owes me nothing and I can never do enough to merit divine favor. I cannot out give God, but neither can I force God to provide for me by giving away all that He has provided and then sending up the prayer, "Look at me, God, I gave everything away and now I am broke before you!" It would be like walking into your dining room, deciding that you didn't like the chairs anymore, and sending them down to the Thrift Store so that God can provide you with shiny new ones. God is our Provider, that is true, but He is not at our beck and call to do what we want.

I suppose it is a question of motivation. Are you and I giving to show our love for others, or are we giving in a selfish attempt to gain more from God, treating our Lord like some kind of cosmic slot machine? If we are figuring that by giving enough God will then make us rich... we might be treading the wrong path in our Christian walk. We may look around and discover that Jesus is no longer by our side because we have strayed too far from the true path to Heaven. We also have our personal calling from God. Jesus told one rich young man to sell all that he had and give to the poor. Jesus also accepted the hospitality of those who had homes, and we may be called to host and support others. Missionaries can hardly be expected to send enough back to support a church at home. We know that it works the other way and are glad to give in support of our missions. That requires money to give and God provides. All that we own or think we own came from God's providence and we are glad to share it. We give to show our love and not our self interest, and God blesses us in return. We give in gratitude to God and give Him the glory for it!

Have a wonderful and giving day in Christ!

Bucky

Trying and Failing

2011-10-10T05:50:00.001-07:00

Good Monday morning! Did you watch Brain Games last night on the National Geographic channel? I like shows like that. All those tests prove that I am no better than anyone else. I laughed and laughed as I fell for the tricks of vision and attention. Years ago, I would have come down on myself for not being part of the 1 in 3 or 1 in 12 that had the ability to spot the change or trick. No sense in doing that anymore, I am as God has created me added to the fallen condition of Adam's sin. That made me wonder: would Adam have fallen for these tricks of vision, attention, or memory? We don't know. The Bible does not give us a description of how much time Adam and Eve spent in Eden before the fall. Perhaps the temptation and eating of the apple happened the very first afternoon of the day Eve arrived, or maybe the couple enjoyed a thousand years of fellowship with God and each other before the fall happened. We don't know.

I may not want to know because it would be so humbling to realize that Adam and Eve were just like me and didn't even last a day in the Garden. I want to think that somewhere in our past people held out against even the sinful thoughts that Jesus spoke of for years and years. Alas, the Bible doesn't seem to have much to help me there. The stories of even the famous faithful include liars, murderers, adulterers, and scoffers. People just too much like me, I'm afraid. On the other hand there is this one fellow. His story is something else entirely.

Of course you realize right away that I am writing about Jesus. While we may feel comforted to know that Timothy was timid just like us, or that even King David had the wrong thoughts during an idle moment, we can also be comforted to read that Jesus was tempted just like we are and did not sin. "But," we say, "that was the Son of God! I could do it if He took over my life, of course I could!" Well, yeah, that is exactly the point! We need Jesus to take charge of our lives to live without sin. We try and try to do it on our own, and we fail and fail in the test.

You are not perfect yet, and neither am I. One day Jesus will finish His work in us through His Holy Spirit and His sacrifice on the cross and then things will be different. Until that day, we must come to our Lord constantly to avoid sin. Have you fallen into sin already this morning? Well, you were probably singing that little tune we all sing so much, "Me, Me, Me...." Sing a new song today, one that sings of the love of Jesus.

Bucky

Your Special Day

2011-10-07T07:24:00.001-07:00

Good Friday morning! Here it is again, October 7, that day of infamy that belongs to me. Some of you are repeating the line already, "Oh great, there he goes again..." As a resolution to this day in my mind, I thought that I would write about your special day instead. Some of you remember the day, others can remember the exact date, time, and place. Whether you can recall more or less, each of you came to Jesus and submitted to His lordship on a day in your past. In other words, you were saved! This day is no joke to any of us, though the circumstances that prompted it may seem full of humor later in life. That day may have been filled with the pain of sin's guilt, or simply the pain of the body. Some of you may have worked your way up to the decision, while others arrived at it with that sudden realization of discovery. Some celebrated the day with a baptism or anointing, others kept the moment treasured quietly at home alone with God. There is no one-size-fits-all day of salvation, only a Savior who fits us all.

Whether you recall exact details or have only a more general memory, we have that day of salvation in our hearts. One day, at the reading of a lengthy list of charges against us in a heavenly court presided over by the One True Judge that day will be played out for us again. As the Accuser attempts to have us convicted, Jesus will look in His own book and say something like, "I have no record of those charges. The page is marked 'Redeemed'!" Because of that special day with Christ, we have no record of sins to condemn us for eternity to suffering and pain greater than any we can experience here on Earth.

Last night as we listened to our weekly lesson with Pastor Chuck Swindoll, he made the point that we should live in fear of God's holiness. I agree, even in the light of my sins already paid for. We should not worry about eternity and the future, but we should rightly fear God's justice before we commit those actions for which we must ask forgiveness. I need to do a better job of remembering God's holiness during those times too! The fact that we have that special day of salvation with Jesus does not give us an excuse to succumb to the desires of the animal or diabolical man within us. In fact, we should take up the godliness that Jesus has already given us to fight those desires that so often result in falling into sin. Remember the result of your special day and seek God's righteousness and strength to live for Him!

Bucky

Some Things May Not Matter

2011-10-06T06:30:00.001-07:00

Happy Thursday morning! The weather is changing though... looks like that autumn thing we've heard about may get underway over the next few days. Confusion reigns in the house. After a rough evening and night, I fed the cats 2 hours early and went to Wal-mart in the darkness of the morning. The cats are wondering what in the world can be going on. The wind may not help matters. We all get a little out of sorts when it blows all night long and shows no signs of letting up yet today. Have you ever felt confused about aspects of your faith? Are the Saturday worshippers correct? Should we hold a mass on Tuesday and then go to Sunday School on Sunday? Ceremonies can be quite impressive, but are they necessary for getting me to Heaven? What if I don't attend every time the church doors are open? Does God love me less because I was unfaithful in tithing back in '02? Does God turn his face from me because I drink coffee without the caffeine in it? We all have various questions about our faith it seems. But what if those are not questions about faith at all, but about doctrine? Except for the last one that is; at least I don't think the Bible says that I should be hoss-whipped for going decaf. Part of the problem lies in the depth and complexity of the Bible. We read and study, and read and study, and there is always more treasure to discover in God's Word. However, the solution is also in the Bible. Much of what we worry about is not going to matter much when we come before Jesus. One clue: Jesus stated, "For where 2 or 3 are gathered in my name, I am there in the midst of them." (Matt 18:20) There is no mention of any particular day in that verse that I can see. What is the context on either side of that verse? Jesus tells his disciples that if two of them agree on anything they ask, the Lord will do it. Following the verse is the command to forgive seventy times seven. Nothing too complicated. Sometimes it seems that no two persons of the Christian faith can agree on much of anything. I submit that nothing could be further from the truth. We agree on much and if we gather in the name of Jesus, the Holy Spirit will be with us as we work out our faith for the glory of God the Father. Denominations and rulers disagree on a lot; that much is true. As followers of Christ, we should seek out our brothers and sisters in the name of Jesus and find Him to be our common ground. Many of our doctrinal differences will not matter in the life to come. Spread a little good news today!Bucky

Problem Solving?

2011-10-05T06:57:00.001-07:00

Allrighty then, two reboots already this morning. It seems that I have not yet isolated the problem here. To bring back the good ol' days, I can imagine an exec lurking over my shoulder asking me when the problem will be fixed. If this makes no sense to you then join the club, you are now at least partly qualified to work in IT. If it makes perfect sense to you, head on up the hill your new career as an executive leader is ready and waiting for you. In this life, only one person knew what the problem was and exactly when the fix would occur.Jesus didn't have to wait on parts; he didn't need help with the diagnosis; and he had everything under control. Jesus even knew exactly when and where the problem began. Many of our own problems just seem to come out of nowhere. We are not sure what the problem is, cannot quite remember when it started, and aren't even sure which symptoms belong with the problem and which are the result of something else. I cannot recall how many times in my old work in IT that I solved problems by furiously swapping out parts until things worked again. Praise God that Jesus didn't have to do that to solve the problem of sin in the human race. The interesting thing is that Jesus didn't even seem to solve the problem: He simply paid the bill that was due.Our 'system' in this world is still clunking along. None of us would call the world fixed right now. Yet, God has declared his grace sufficient because of His Son's sacrifice. Doesn't seem to make sense to our worldly view, but praise God that we believe in Jesus!Have a great new day in Christ!Bucky

Forgive 70x7 - October 4, 2011

2011-10-04T06:36:00.001-07:00

Good Tuesday morning! Can you ever forgive someone? No, you must always forgive everyone! In our lives we are going to come across persons who wrong us, organizations that wrong us, and even a diabolical self that wrongs us. Forgiveness is an essential element of our Christian life and growth. For those who have hurt us deeply, we may have to spend a little time each day forgiving them for years to come. The pain of what happened in a particular moment in time may fade only slowly. And each time we remember the hurt from that moment, we may need to forgive one more time. Jesus gave us a guideline to follow when he told the disciples they must forgive seventy times seven times. Some hurts are so deep that forgiving the person seven times is only a good start. Actually, forgiving the first time may not even be the most difficult.

At times a hurt might cause one of us to stew on the events that led up to or caused the hurt. Therein lies the key to why forgiveness is so very important. God is not hurt when we continue to stew in the pain, but He does mourn for us. God longs to heal our hurt and tears; forgiveness is the first shot of medicine for that hurt. We can forgive the other person with words or a letter, but that may not do any good in some hardened cases. However, forgiveness does a whole boatload of good in each of us, the hurting and tearful one who must forgive everyone.

Do you have a person or organization who has done to you what will be a lifetime of hurting? Forgive every day! Don't think that you have to come up with the strength to forgive on your own either. Ask God to help you forgive. Plead with our Lord for the strength to forgive. He did it on the cross; he must have the knowledge of how to help us forgive too.

Get up! A beautiful day has begun!

Bucky

2011-10-03T06:34:00.001-07:00

Going All the Way to Victory!Good Monday morning! The Huskers got stomped, the Broncos got stomped; what team should I be rooting for? Have you ever felt that all of your teams were somehow second tier in this life? Let me tell you about one team that may seem to be losing when we look at the news media, but has the victory already. As we look around at the news these days, it often seems that Christ is losing more battles than ever. How will our Lord gain the victory in the end when He can't even get people to acknowledge Him now? Of course we know that is looking at it from the wrong direction. Our Lord's final victory is not dependent upon good press or public opinion. The fact that each of us is allowed to choose does not reduce the power or sovereignity of God one bit. The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross is not set aside because some refuse to believe that it happened. God doesn't have or need a marketing department to put a positive spin on press releases or to sell a product. You will find no finance or accounting department in Heaven lamenting the heavy costs of God's operations department. These are earth-bound things that we deal with on most days, but God is truly in charge of His operation. That final victory promised in Revelation: count on it! Jesus will come and He will have the victory. The peace that only Christ can give is yours. The joy that comes from believing in Jesus is yours to enjoy and share. The love of God surrounds you at all times and lifts you up from life's worst moments. God has called some to be martyrs and all of us to suffer for Him, but that does not mean that He is losing the war. This team is going all the way, baby! Have a wonderful new week in Christ!Bucky

2011-09-30T06:12:00.001-07:00

Good Friday morning! What a great movie last night! I need to see that one again sometime. In case you haven't seen "Flywheel" you may want to give it a go when you have the chance. Praise God for bringing us together last night. If anyone needs a taco today, I can fix you up with a few of them before the Octoberfest begins. I wanted to make sure that we had enough to eat, so I kind of... Well, we did and then some! Did you ever think that God might do more than meet your needs? I get in the habit of doubting God when I should be faithful and proclaim His providence to myself constantly. Yes, I do mean to myself. We need to get in the Word and let it remind us that God loves us and waits to do more than just the bare minimum. I'm not saying that every Christian is going to be showered with tons of loot simply for asking, but we should expect God to act like God does in the Bible. God didn't send the Israelites to look at a spot in the desert wastes when He brought them out of Egypt; He sent them to look at a land flowing with milk and honey. They got to look at the desert wastes only after failing to believe in God's promise. Jesus didn't just heal the blind man's eyes to the point where he still needed thick glasses, the man could see so well that he believed in Jesus when the religious leaders did not. God can do much more than we expect, if we will take the time and make the effort to trust in Him completely. Have a great weekend!Bucky

Faith in the Almighty - September 28, 2011

2011-09-28T07:18:00.001-07:00

Good Wednesday morning! Well, late again, but Windows is up and running for the moment. Computers and their software can be a real test of our faith and patience. Perhaps God allowed them to be invented just for that very purpose. I thought that I had left IT work behind me, but that appears to not be the case at times. Now to switch from frustration with a machine to writing about encouragement for people.

My need for Jesus often comes into a sharper focus during times when I must not only switch gears in a manner of speaking, but change direction as well. In this world, I want to gnash my teeth and snarl at certain manufacturers of computer software and hardware. In Christ, I need to change to writing something encouraging to help you make it through another difficult day, especially for those up on the hill at Big Corporate. Alone, I am afraid that I would never make the switch. I need the Spirit to guide me and comfort me in order to set aside the problems and concentrate on the Savior.

Problems in life and work seem to pile up to form mountains in front of us. In business, the company will put you through courses with very uplifting slogans about going over the mountain or figuring ways around it. What we really need is to say to the mountain, "Git!" and have it moved out of our way. Hmmm, that seems to remind me of something from the Bible! To make that work, we need faith in an Almighty God. I am not going to be able to lift and throw a mountain no matter how many times I say 'git' or 'move'. Faith in God on the other hand can move those very mountains from my way. It isn't a matter of tallying up my own strength, we know that will be insufficient. I need to believe in God's strength and keep my faith centered on the one who created the very mountains of this earth. A mountain of problems is as nothing to our God. The mountain we fear will stop us forever may be gone with the morning mist.

Take comfort in an Almighty God!

Bucky

Irritable - September 27, 2011

2011-09-27T08:41:00.001-07:00

Good Tuesday morning! It is now well past 0900 and I have a browser screen and access to my e-mail. How important e-mail has become to us! And how important is the device that delivers that e-mail? On most days I tend to take the device for granted, but on days such as today - it becomes an errant beast given to biting and scratching the hands that type on it. Fortunately, I don't have to love my personal computer, otherwise I couldn't exercise my irritability toward it. What if that computing machine were a person serving me?

Then the entire situation would be different. We are called to love one another. There is no exception for position relative to each other in life, only the command to love one another. We are also informed in Corinthians that love is not irritable. So if this machine were instead a person taking dictation for me, I could not get irritated at mistakes he might make without asking his forgiveness and forgiving him, and then asking forgiveness of God for disobeying His Word. How important then are the relationships we have with others? Very important - as important as our relationship with God is. Jesus gave us two commandments when asked by the religious leaders what the most important commandment was.

No doubt those religious experts were hoping that Jesus would pick one of the ten commandments so that they could have a big doctrinal beat down. However, the Son of God told us to love God with all of our heart, spirit, mind, and body. And equally as important - to love the other person as we love ourselves. Machines in this life will get us upset, to say the least, at times. People may upset us far worse than machines, but we are to stomp on those feelings that rise up and learn to love one another. Not feeling too loving toward someone today? I have a suspicion that you are handling it much better than you would have before giving your life to Jesus. We are far from perfected at this point in our journey to sanctification in Christ, but you may not realize how far you have come from what you were in the world.

God bless you this morning.

Bucky

Not Far Away at All - September 26, 2011

2011-09-26T06:43:00.001-07:00

Good Monday morning! The PC has already booted 3 times today, so we'll see if I can sneak in the devotional writing. Sometimes things are not quite right with something. It could be very obvious like my PC thing, or it could be more subtle like a feeling that seems to have no definite fact or grounding to explain the cause. With machines we usually have no difficulty in seeing that something is wrong, even if the exact cause may not be that easy to nail down. With persons we may have a bit more difficulty. Is it the other person or is it me? When examining our feelings about our relationship with God we can have more difficulty still. However, the last one should not be as difficult as we make it.

We should all beware of basing our estimation of our spiritual condition based on our feelings. God caused His Word to be printed so that we can come back to it many times. Feel that something is wrong between you and God? Read the Law; have you avoided all sin and kept every rule? Nope, not one of us has. That cannot be the reason for God would have no right relationship with any of us. However, you may have unconfessed sin in your life that is getting in the way of your prayer. Not that God would hold up His mighty hand to block your requests, but that like Adam and Eve we might be hiding from our Lord because of that sin. In the end, you may feel out of sorts with God simply because you are looking to your feelings as a guide.

We know, and we have been reminded, and we know, and we know more, and we know further still that feelings are not a good guide... but we still at times think that God must not be listening to us because we don't feel quite right. Ten minutes later we may feel just fine. How could God be far away in the first place? God is omnipresent. He knows all things and is all powerful. No one can keep Him away from you or me. God places His own Holy Spirit within us at salvation. So how could God ever be far away from us? Yet, we feel far away, lost, not paid attention to, and other lonely things even though Jesus promised that He would never leave us nor forsake us. Paul reminded us, "The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing!"

Hmm, it seems that what the Bible has to say about God's closeness to me is nothing at all like my feelings at times. Exactly! We know there is never anything wrong with God. A sin in my life may cause me to feel far away from God, and should be fixed with confession and a request of mercy and forgiveness. But God is never far away from us! You and I need never fear that God has turned away. Praise the Lord for a close relationship with our God and Father!

Have a great new week in Christ!

Bucky

Slow it Down a Bit - September 23, 2011

2011-09-23T06:40:00.001-07:00

Good Friday morning! Ah, the flavor of coffee in the morning! I notice that CNBC has a special news report on coffee addiction coming up this next week. I may have to see if that includes decaf or if it is more of a caffeine thing. I wonder if I can raise coffee bushes in my back yard. Does coffee grow on trees or bushes? Actually, I made need further research before I try to grow a coffee bean. I'll bet the roasted ones don't grow into anything but cups. Now if I could invent the coffee tree that sprouts hot cups of coffee each morning I would really be on to something! Ah, always the shortcut.

A lot of work goes into a cup of coffee. God created the earth and the coffee plant; the days of sunshine and the right temperature; the best altitude and moisture, and all the other conditions that go into producing the raw coffee beans. A farmer raises the trees or bushes, harvests the beans, and a buyer will choose the beans he or she wants. A lot of folks will be involved in shipping the crop to the United States and getting it to the roasting place. (I wonder what it smells like to work there?) Then more folks to ship the roasted beans to me out here in Nebraska. Only then do I get to do my bit to get the coffee ready. Yet, I want a shortcut by having a tree that grows cups of coffee.

In many ways we long for short cuts. However, often a short cut to something doesn't produce the same results. We look at a tough day ahead and tell the Lord that today would be a good day for the Rapture. We wonder when someone will invent a machine that takes the raw materials from the grocery store and then produces a seven-course meal without the slightest effort on our part. At times that last may sound pretty good, but cooking is an art and a joy for many of us. One of the big turnoffs to working in a restaurant is the hurry-hurry, rush-rush part of cooking. Perhaps one of the problems with the economy is that we have lost the art of taking our time. We have learned too many short cuts so to speak. Waiting on the Lord has become against our very nature it seems.

Perhaps you don't need to go to all those places tomorrow. Maybe I can slow down and read a book today. All of us may find a better answer by bringing our questions about this life to the Lord. Beware! He may not answer immediately.

Have a great weekend!

Bucky

It WILL Arrive - September 22, 2011

2011-09-22T07:03:00.000-07:00

Good Thursday morning! I saw frost on some roofs this morning! That means autumn cannot be far away. Whatever the calendar may say, it would appear that autumn will not be with us this weekend if the weather prognosticators are correct. Some nut was predicting a high of near 90 on Sunday, though they may have changed that by now. Let me check the website here... Oops, my bad, that prediction is on for Saturday now. Apparently they haven't caught the nut yet. That may seem like good news for the Farmer's Day celebration in Kimball, but 89 or 90 is a bit too much good news for later in September.

Does the Bible contain any predictions that are too much of a good thing? I guess in a way you could say yes to that. Exactly how long is eternity? And I'm not talking about that last class of the school day or the time it takes for 1700 to arrive on a Friday. On the other hand, if I could get my mind around eternity in Heaven, then perhaps the good news would not be good enough for the Bible. If Jesus could make us understand a finite number of years or eons that we would be in Heaven, then we would always have that little floater back there saying, "It's gonna end!" And you can bet the devil would use that to no end!

Praise God that eternity is safe with Him. We don't have to understand the length or breadth of eternity with Jesus in Heaven. We can be comforted just by looking up in hope to see that eternity arriving in the clouds of glory. Like that last hour of the work day before a big vacation, the hour of the glory of the Second Coming will arrive one great day. We cannot rush its arrival or hurry the coming of our Lord. We can't wish the Rapture here faster or escape our allotted time on this earth. However, we can take our faith, dust if off, polish it up a little and put it out in front for all to see: Jesus is coming again!

Have a wonderful day in Christ Jesus!

Bucky

A Treasure Chest of Word! - September 21, 2011

2011-09-21T05:47:00.001-07:00

Good Wednesday morning! Ah, yes! The first Bible study of the season has arrived... or at least it will tonight. What has happened to the men over the summer? Will the pastor have to point out the more obscure books like Matthew, Genesis, and Revelation for us to find? The summer was long; will some of us need help with the big words near the front like 'holy' and 'bible'? After a long layoff, any of us can feel a little dull, like our sharpened edge has flattened just a bit over the months away from the group. We might even forget our own names when that first quiz paper arrives!

In my daily life I have found the Bible to have real sticking power in my mind. However, questions like, "What was the last lesson about way back in May or April?" might find me in some difficulty. Come to think of it, I'm not sure that I have a Bible in the truck right now. On the other hand, taking time off from something can indeed make the thirst greater. If you don't believe me, try taking a couple of days off from drinking liquids. We'll see how much greater your thirst is then! Just kidding; please don't do something silly like that.

We have heard the old saying, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder". But that doesn't work well in Bible study for everyone. If you believe in Jesus and the Spirit resides within you, then yes, you will feel a need grow greater from not studying the scriptures. However, for those who do not believe, walking away from the Bible can have dire consequences. Even for the believer it is not good to spend very much time away from our daily Bible study and reflection. The Holy Spirit does write God's Word on our hearts and He does remind us, but there is more to be written! If you were in need of money and you stumbled over a treasure chest mostly buried in the sand, would you take only a coin or two and then stop, thinking, "I need much more, but this stuff is a burden to carry!" Of course not! You would take what you needed and then have to fight off the greedy urge to try taking what you didn't need as well, and then even some more after that. We are not to feel greedy for money, but when you open your Bible feel free to get greedy for the Word!

That analogy isn't completely out of bounds. The Word does place a burden on our hearts. As we take from the treasure of God's Word, we find a burden for praying for others growing on our hearts. We may find a burden for doing good works. A burden for the suffering of others and of our own trials may appear in our hearts. We may even study the prophecies and find that the future is a tough burden to carry. Like a disease or injury getting worse before the healing is done, the world is going to suffer much before Jesus makes it all new again. That knowledge is a burden for us to carry. Praise God that you and I do not have to carry that burden alone! If we go back to the treasure example, imagine Jesus showing up with a hand cart just as you realize the chest is too heavy for you to carry alone. Well, now the burden is indeed light!

Praise God for His wonderful Word!

Bucky

Rooted in Fear - September 20, 2011

2011-09-20T05:38:00.001-07:00

Good Tuesday morning! Okay, think about a nice phobia. Perhaps you only have some run-of-the-mill fears in your life, no real phobias, so choose one of them instead. Put yourself in an imaginary situation where you have to face that fear. Let's say you have to climb a tower or descend into a dark cave. At the moment, you can think of no good reason to face this fear. There is nothing but air, lots and lots of air space, at the top of the tower. And there is nothing but lots of darkness at the bottom of the cave. Even with someone volunteering to help you, you cannot figure out a good enough reason to immerse yourself in this fearful situation. Now, suppose that someone has assured you that at the top of the tower or at the bottom of this cave is the entrance to Heaven. Suddenly, the reason is not just good, but the best! Let someone step in the way and just try to keep us from charging full speed up the tower or down into that dreadful darkness.

When we face our fears in this life, we tend to see our death at the end of the line. Naturally, that makes us breath fast, tremble, and get the old heart rate right up there. The body does not like the thought of its own demise. We may have trouble even moving forward for all the conflicting thoughts, emotions, and physical reactions going on as we face the darkness of that fear. However, the message of Christ is true. Somewhere, at the end of all those trials and temptations we gaze upon in fear is the entrance to Heaven and Christ is waiting there for us. But that isn't all. Christ is also walking that pathway with us.

This is not some magic thing that we need to try to figure out, but a provision of God that we simply accept. Jesus awaits us in Heaven and He is with us always. As we tremble in fear at all the dark possibilities that we may or may not encounter along that narrow path, we should gaze at our Savior and know that one possibility is a sure thing: Jesus will lead us to Heaven.

The path of this life may seem dark or limitless depending upon how each of us views the unknown. But to Jesus there is nothing unknown. The path He leads His sheep on does not end in a pit or at the brink of a vast space. Jesus will bring all of us home to be with Him forever. We cannot see very far along this path; our vision ahead is cloudy and full of guesses. But our Guide and Shepherd is not fooled by the world and its fears. Take the next step. Jesus will not force our trembling feet to walk, but does wait for us to get moving again when fear has us rooted to the ground.

Praise the name of Jesus!

Bucky

A New Season? - September 19, 2011

2011-09-19T07:11:00.001-07:00

Good Monday morning! 3 weeks ago today I didn't welcome the morning sun quite as much as I do today. The mornings were still warm and the days even worse. Now, I go outside with a jacket and the morning sun helps to warm up the house. That change has happened within less than 3 weeks. Imagine what changes will happen in another 3 weeks. Bear in mind that I'm not asking you to worry about what happens, just imagine for a bit. Actually, our respective imaginations may not even be close when it comes to what happens by or at that time. For all we know the sun might start heading back north and the arrival of autumn will be cancelled for this year. Unlikely I'll admit, but you and I could not positively guarantee it. On the other hand, God could grab any handy prophet and let us know exactly what is going to happen exactly 3 weeks from today, or even for every day in between.

God did this often in the Old Testament days, and yet many chose not to believe the Word of God. With the advantage of reading God's Bible given to us over the centuries, we can look back at them and call them fools. The ancient people of Jerusalem laughed at Jeremiah when he warned them of the coming invasion. They laughed again when Jesus told them that the temple would be destroyed. Both times we laugh grimly at those old-timey folks and perhaps forget to wonder what we might be laughing at or ignoring today.

Perhaps God has put it on your heart to be a dancer, but your shape and physical stamina at the moment is one more suited to watching dancers on television. Certainly you may be right in doubting yourself at this moment, but do you also doubt God's ability to make you into a dancer? Be careful of saying, "I'm too old!" God gave us an example of that way back in the first book of the Bible. Today, I am wondering myself what prophecy or promise from God that I may be slow in seeing the fulfillment of simply because I haven't listened and rose up from the watching position.

There is a certain inertia or unwillingness to move when we get comfortable in our watching place. God has provided for us and while the cupboard is full we might be just a little slow in getting to it. While we should never be driven by worry, the comfort of the moment may not be well deserved from hard work either. Times of rest will come for us, as will seasons of change, days of work, and times of trial. Praise God for the new days that remind us to get up and get moving on the Lord's plan for each of us. A new season arrives on the calendar on Friday. It just may be time for a new season to arrive in your life or my life this week too!

Praise God our Father and Provider!

Bucky

My Bible - September 16, 2011

2011-09-16T06:30:00.000-07:00

Good Friday morning! What are some good things about my Bible that I am thankful for today? My Bible does not need to reboot for no apparent reason. My Bible is not shut down by a power outage. While I have plenty of bibles throughout the home, I can never seem to get enough of God's Word. My Bible contains the words of life. My Bible has words of comfort for me. Though it was written in 66 parts starting at about 2,000 years ago and going back at least another 1,000 years, my Bible is complete and inspired by God. My Bible not only tells the truth, but tells the story of the Way, the Truth, and the Life. My Bible tells me of our history and how this world began. My Bible also tells me of times to come and how this world will end. My Bible tells me of people very much like me; who faced enormous difficulties and dreadful losses for Christ. My Bible also tells me of those to whom God gave great victories, and there is no reason to think that I cannot be much like those people too through faith and trust in my Lord.

Of course 'my' Bible is not really mine except that I have a copy or two of God's Word. The Bible becomes mine through study, prayer, meditation, and the work of the Holy Spirit. Having been born about 1900 years too late, I did not write any of the Bible, but I and my fellow believers get to write and live that next chapter called The Church. We call ourselves by many different names, speak many different languages, and even argue about many different points of doctrine. However, if we believe in Jesus Christ then we share one Lord, one God, one Holy Spirit, and one salvation. Every congregation includes those folks who believe in God's Word just as it is, and a few who want to tweak it a bit. Every congregation will have mostly the same opinion on how a worship service should be carried out and the spiritual state of those who didn't make it there that week. We as the Church have different opinions on what must be done to prove our faith in Christ. But God gave His Word to all who will listen as it is read to them; learn as he reads it; apply it to life as she studies it; and grow closer to God as we share it in His love.

The Bible: the Word of God, and a wonderful book to read too!

Bucky

God's Gems - September 15, 2011

2011-09-15T05:08:00.000-07:00

Good Thursday morning! There is something wonderful and something gained in the precious Word of God! In this life we feel the urge to look for the hidden treasure. People comb beaches after a storm, walk parks with metal detectors, take off for the hills to pan for gold, and search yard sales trying to find that hidden or overlooked treasure. At times we may find success in these things, but as any veteran yard sale-or will tell you we will have to look through a ton or two of junk before we find any treasure. One place we are guaranteed to find hidden treasure is in the Word of God.

The Bible starts off with a treasure you are familiar with: In the beginning, God created the heavens and the Earth. Gems are hidden throughout the 66 books of text. Not that all scripture is not valuable to each of us, but that each of us will see a brighter light in some verses because of the uniqueness God put into his creations. Your experiences in this life have been different from mine. The verse that speaks loudly to me, may not mean as much to you. However, both of us are guaranteed to find what we seek in God's Word!

Once, I tried to hold up the lengthy genealogies in the Bible as an example of scripture that may not have the value of some other verses. And to me a verse like John 3:16 is more of an eye opener than some of those 'begot' verses. As I was reading a book on the history of the westward expansion of the United States, I came to the story of Independence Rock. This rock is a place, a pile of rocks, that marks the point on the Oregon Trail where pioneers hoped, well, actually needed, to be in order to make it over the mountains before winter closed the high passes of the Rockies. To mark the point, someone carved his or her name into the soft sandstone and others followed suit until an extensive record of names has been left there. Now why do you think people would travel out there today to see the names of people long past? Right, to see if they can spot one that has a connection to themselves. Suddenly one reason for all those begats and begots becomes clear to me. Someone working their family line back from this end might even make a distant connection to a genealogy in the Bible; now wouldn't that be special!

You have the urge to seek treasure within you. Let the Holy Spirit direct you to the one place you are sure to find some gems, the Word of God.

Bucky

A Choice in the Night - September 14, 2011

2011-09-14T07:01:00.000-07:00

Good Wednesday morning! You have probably never in your life rolled over in your bed in the morning and wished that you didn't have to get up on any particular day. Heh, heh, yeah right! The fact that I write it down will not make that true for any of us. Even the most optimistic and cheerful of disposition among us will find some days that a bit more sleep in bed might feel a lot better than getting up. After all we spend the night working to get comfortable and some nights only achieve that comfort right near the very end. Life is very like one night in bed.

The first bit is great as we feel sleepy and the bed feels nice after the toil of the day. Often that first bit of sleep is the best of the night. We sleep like a baby so to speak. Later, the sleep becomes lighter and the dreams start up. We may awaken several times to good dreams or awful nightmares. Aches and pains, unnoticed in the first deep sleep may suddenly bother us. Tossing and turning may follow as we reach the time of worry and fear. In the darkest part of the night, we can choose to trust our lives to Christ or to continue to go it alone. What we choose in the midst of life will determine the morning we wake up to.

Those who choose to reject or ignore Jesus will wake up to a grim darkness unlike and worse than any they have ever experienced. Those of us who have chosen to place our faith and our very lives in Christ will wake up to the light of God. Like the morning of a new day in this life, we may look back briefly and think on how quick the journey was from the short day that was our time in this world to the new morning with Jesus in Heaven. Our time of striving in the day and tossing in the night is so short when set against eternity, and yet it seems so long to us at times while we are here.

When we think of the prophetic events in the Bible that are still to come they may seem impossibly remote. The time that Jesus walked the area around Galilee seems equally far off in the past to us. Yet both are so very close in God's view that we are told to be ever alert and watchful as a sentry on guard duty. For us the morning will soon arrive. Not an unwelcome morning like that one that came after a night that seemed too short or too long, but a welcome morning that brings renewal and strengthening as only Jesus can give for all eternity.

To God be the glory!

Bucky

Light - September 13, 2011

2011-09-13T06:06:00.001-07:00

Good Tuesday morning! The light and love of the Lord is in you and with you all the day long! Fear not the darkness of the night or the darkness of your mind, for all darkness is dispelled in the presence of the Lord's Holy Spirit. Looking into the darkness we see no reason for hope, but the Spirit reminds us to turn around and know Jesus, the Light of the World. With light flowing into your heart, your whole countenance will be lit with the lamp that never goes out. Trust in Jesus to light you up today!

Bucky

Whitewashing Again? - September 12, 2011

2011-09-12T07:04:00.001-07:00

Good Monday morning! In the world we know that what we see isn't always what we get, or even necessarily the truth. There is software to make the model's photo look better; software to search the web and clean up your image; software to run the hardware, and even software to create a virtual world that is so much more fun than the real one. Why bother living this real life when there is a world more to your liking on your computer? Most of us have no trouble separating the two, but there are some folks who cannot live in the real world anymore. We may blame the personal computer and the Internet, but this began back in the days of television, or even radio, or maybe traveling shows, or... Actually there is a story that our first president, mindful of history, made sure to have his teeth in when his portrait was painted. Going back further, we might find that the wealthier and more powerful a person was, the less likely their portrait painted a true picture of the person. I suspect that we could take this all the way back to the time Adam and Eve took their first steps out of the Garden of Eden and found that the new world now stained by their sin and God's curse had begun to sprout ugliness.

Having known only the beauty and gentleness of the Garden, Adam probably found the first sticker not long after his first trip into the field to plant his crops. Knowing what we do of stickers and sand-burrs out here, Adam probably found it with a sensitive part of his feet or hands first. Later, Adam would discover that one sticker in your clothing multiplies if left alone too long. It may have been Eve who first discovered her reflection in a pool and noticed the first imperfection in her face. Perhaps it was only the welt from the first mosquito bite, but suddenly the one created from Adam by God noticed a bit of ugliness in her image. Since misery loves to unload on an unsuspecting partner, that first conversation after Adam came in limping from his work in the field probably had a lot of moaning and complaining involved on both sides of the table.

Ever since the expulsion from Eden, we have the ability to see every imperfection and have worked on ways to cover or eliminate them. You can bet that personal hygiene products and makeup and such were not invented by someone who thought men and women were perfect just the way they came naturally. The first high definition television and movie images probably sent a whole generation of actors running back to their trailers for more makeup. However, I don't see a lot of verses in the Bible where God speaks to our appearance. Jesus called the religious leaders 'whitewashed sepulchers' (whew, try to spell that one on a Monday morning!), beautiful on the outside but full of corruption on the inside. Our culture trains us to worry about our appearance; Jesus speaks throughout the Bible of what is really important. We think we see every imperfection, but we also have an ability to miss the important ones.

Praise God for sending us a Counselor! As fallen as we are, we would probably spend too much time working to improve the external if left to produce sanctification on our own. In fact, as we grow closer to Jesus, it becomes obvious to even the slow ones like me that our sanctification program is best managed by God.

Walk with our Lord Jesus today!

Bucky