It May Be A Humbling Experience

I have it under control. I can get this; it's really no big deal, Lord. We have said such things when still in the approach to the landing. However, the time arrives to land the plane and suddenly all the fears and doubts that were set aside before come back in full attack mode. You may find yourself completely unable to perform the necessary actions in your own strength. I had just such an experience yesterday...at a baptism no less.

'What is the big deal about a baptism?' you might ask. Walk down to the water, speak a few words about your salvation, get in with the pastor and let him take it from there, not a big thing at all. On the approach to the time and place, I would have agreed with you. However, when the moment arrived, my old demon arrived and ran his spear right through my side. I needed the prayers of many, my own prayers to the Lord, and finally the strength of our Lord to do the thing. I said that the process was almost more than a man can bear, and that is true in my case. Like a sheep trembling on the way to the shearing, I needed the Shepherd to lead me there. I could not bear it alone. This is not to say that there is something wrong in the process, but that there is something wrong in the sheep.

Like Paul, I have a thorn in my side that the Lord has not taken away. We do not know the exact nature of Paul's problem, but my own is labeled PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder. In a situation that many would find only mildly uncomfortable, I may be rendered nearly helpless. When some must climb a small hill to reach the summit, I am faced with a tall mountain. I don't want the church to change everything to accommodate me; I want God to take the problem away. However, my answer at this time seems to the same that Paul received from the Lord. The good news in this is that the Lord did lead me down to the water, gave me a few words to say, and we all got through the process. The mountain was climbed and the deed was done. The worries of yesterday were indeed sufficient in and of themselves for the day. God took me right to the breaking point, and then led me through it. Praise the Lord!

Bucky

A Better Day

Ah, the coolness of the morning. Not officially autumn yet, but certainly an indication that the seasons will soon change. It would be difficult under many circumstances to not look ahead to tomorrow. But for some of us, tomorrow is a baptism Sunday. If God is willing, He will also make me able. Tough day yesterday, something many of us expected yesterday did not happen. God's time table did not agree with my own in this case and we all know whose will is done when that conflict occurs. I can try to force an issue, but many things are simply out of my control. What makes God's time schedule better than my own? Hmm, let us look at that more closely.

God is all knowing: Every event both today and tomorrow He already knows and has ordained. I know little about today and even less about tomorrow. God holds the ultimate wisdom in His hands: The best timing for everything is known and held by God. I only think I know the best time for a few little things. God created the heavens and the earth; I struggle to rearrange some of God's raw materials now and then. God's Son is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end; I am only what God has created. God knows what is best for everyone involved in the event in question - even to the generations to come in this world. I sometimes think that I know what is best for me, and occasionally what may be best for a few others, and even that knowledge is questionable at best. I think we may be onto something in our little examination here. And that knowledge? Well, that knowledge is based on God's revelation too. Not too hard to figure out why God's outcome and timing is best in everything... once we come to believe in Jesus and listen to God's own Spirit.

Praise the name of the Lord!
Bucky

Waiting For The Big News

I know that you are all waiting for the big news, but so far none has arrived. Hmm, kind of sounds like I'm expecting a child or something. Nope, just the news that one house is closing and the big move to the other. What is my job in this? Of course, we know that putting faith into action requires that I do as much as I can to get ready, to be ready, and to wait upon the Lord. After that, I wait. Waiting for the Lord's time does not involve fretting over things that have not happened or worrying myself with thoughts of this scary thing or that unlikely possibility. As I stood in my former kitchen looking across empty rooms and clean carpets, I thought that waiting is always an opportunity to come closer to God in thought and prayer. It is also a time that can be used to increase worry and fear to unbearable levels. We always have that choice and so often we take the dark side of things and follow the wrong path for a while.

I cannot move this real estate thing along any faster. What must be done now is out of my hands. This is an opportunity to have faith and trust completely in the Lord. A government office is involved, but trying to interfere could only make things worse. Praying my needs to God with thanksgiving on the other hand gives me an opportunity to show who I have faith in. Hint: it ain't the bureau-cats in far away offices. Speaking of cats, each morning I have taken the time to pray over the cat that is in the basement... the empty, bare, and uncomfortable basement. I invite him to join me in prayer and I can only hope that his offering to the Lord will help. Then we wait. Do you like being powerless to do anything to move something along? Me neither.

I don't know why though. For I know that the world and its powers are much too large for me to move. I know that God is all-powerful and mighty to act on my behalf. Yet, that flesh wants to be in control, and it does not like to wait on the Lord. The flesh lies, for it cannot save me, not even in this world. My faith is in God, and in His saving grace I will trust.

To God be the glory, now and forevermore!
Bucky

The Inevitable Conclusion

One of those old-time sayings persons once said: "A man plans his actions, but God directs his steps." Or maybe it was something close to that, and I kind of sort of have it right. The question before us this morning is: Have you been in a long-term situation where it seems that no matter what steps you took, the conclusion of the journey pointed all along to only the one possible outcome? Perhaps the journey began years ago when you and I came to a decision that we thought would take us to a new peak in life. Instead, we ended up right in the valley that we tried so hard to avoid. That valley may have included a divorce, or perhaps financial ruin, or failure at something you really wanted to succeed at, but after months or years of effort, boom, right to the very spot where we didn't want to go. Life includes everyday decisions that can take us to many destinations, but no matter what we tried our course corrected like some grim homing missile to the one and only target, the wrong one.

So the question from here is not one of complaint, but one of potential. What does the Lord want me to learn here? Where will my Sovereign Lord take me next? The greatest blessings in my life have come from the lowest valleys of my life's events. The current situation is just ripe with great potential and promise. When the bottom of the valley arrives, there is nowhere to look but up. What is all around is obvious to those in the pit of dread and despair. We might as well look up to the Savior and follow Him! Perhaps the destination was inevitable, but it was only inevitable because God would have us here for His own good reasons. One of those reasons is always so that we will look only to Him and give Him the glory. Oops, I guess that would be two of the reasons.

Praise God for the valleys!
Bucky

It's Going To Happen; I Just Know It!

The waiting stretches our Christian growth. We know something will happen. We may even have divine assurance that it will happen. But, we don't have the date. The return of Christ to gather His children to himself comes in much the same way. Seemingly slowly as we live and walk the earth, but oh so sudden in its arrival, the gathering of those who believe in Jesus will happen. We know it and we should live it. Did you ever stop to think that nothing or no one on this earth or in the heavens can stop the return of Christ? God has set the date and hour, and we know that God is the Almighty One. Therefore, nothing can stop our Lord's return. It's going to happen; I just know it.

Knowing something will happen gives us the opportunity to show our patience. Okay, maybe it gives us the opportunity to develop our patience. Waiting on something is not easy for us, especially if it is something that we can do nothing to advance. I cannot deliver a devotional message to you that will by one iota make Jesus come any sooner. God is not holding up His sending of the Son on account of something you or I have not yet accomplished. Everything God has spoken in His Word will happen on time and in God's perfect time. All we have to do is wait, and, oh boy, can that ever be a test of faith!

God bless you,
Bucky

When Disaster Strikes

I'm not writing this because three pre-teen girls are attempting to bake a cake in Cheryl's kitchen this morning... really, I'm not. They have succeeded in starting on the frosting, which to young persons is probably more important than the cake in any case. I managed to sneak in and start the roast, hopefully it won't get caught up in the conflagration. Oops, one just got caught eating the powdered sugar - straight. Such a thing is guaranteed to put any adult into a sugar coma on the spot. In place of a culinary play-by-play, I suppose this should lead into a devotional message of some sort.

Some situations are fraught, that is truly fraught, with the greatest of peril. Young girls loose in the kitchen is one, but others come to mind as well. The same group of girls loose on Ric's computer is another. Nothing is safe in the house. I'm sitting in my corner with my laptop. As the default adult in the house, I'm trying to avoid...well, de fault actually. Thus far we have avoided explosions, flames, and flying glass, but nothing is for certain at this point. I did snatch the mail back out of harm's way. Since I couldn't think of anything to write in the peace of the morning, I will now attempt to write the devotional during the impending disaster. The oven timer expired, but Miss Madeline is distracted. A good cook pays attention to his or her work in progress. I wonder if Grandma will be upset when the smoke patterns stain her white ceiling? Whoops, adult direction needed to find the pot holders, good thing I found them for the pot pies. How does one write a devotional during a small cyclone? Disaster has now occurred it seems. Was that the smell of burning flesh in the kitchen?

I'm wondering this morning if the peace that surpasses all understanding can guard my heart and mind through this latest trial. Arguments among the chefs ensue,.. the cake is too soft for frosting... the 'thing' cannot go on because the frosting won't work... shoes litter the pathway to the kitchen. Fortunately, the cats have well-trained me to watch the floor. Speaking of conflagrations, tomorrow the cats may get to ride in "the box" for a while. Of course, that means someone will have to get them in the thing first. The almost certain thing is that at least one of us isn't going to enjoy it. All of this comes down to one thing this morning - God is not upset in any way. No circumstance puts the Holy Trinity into an uproar. Nothing here on earth is unexpected or out of the ordinary or beyond God's sovereign control. Whatever may befall us here in this life, God is not caught out of position, or left speechless, or unable to respond in His own perfect way. Want peace in the midst of the storm? Look to the Savior and see Him walking calmly over the waves and commanding the wind to halt.

God bless,
Bucky

Undeserved

Mornings are nice at this time of the year, but the evenings are getting pleasant as well. What did we do to deserve such a thing? Of course, we didn't do a thing to deserve any of the good things in life. Do we then deserve the disasters and unpleasant heat, or maybe the drought and storms? We may deserve even worse than that. An old time sermon tells of sinners falling into the hands of an angry God. What we deserve as rebels against God is far worse than what we experience in this world.What we get to enjoy in this life is undeserved favor from a loving God. The problem comes when we try to claim some kind of credit for what God provides.

A gardener plants and tends a garden. Does she not then deserve the credit for the fruits of this garden? This year we have the answer to that. Many gardens failed to grow without the rain that God provides. Even an irrigated garden does not do as well as one watered with God's good rain. The gardener could plant and tend daily, but she could not make even one seed germinate or one plant grow without working on something God created long ago. Not one of us can grow a garden without seeds, water, sunlight, and soil; all of which God created for His own glory.

Grace is like the seed that we didn't create and do not deserve. We can help with the tending of the plant, even water it with the Word of God, but God gives the grace and causes the plant to grow. We don't deserve God's grace, but we gain it through faith in Jesus Christ. A great gift is given, share the good news!

Bucky

Slam The Hammer Down!

The weekend is almost here. Time for plans of adventure and relaxation to take root and grow in our over-stressed hearts. Slam the hammer down and party like there's no tomorrow! Why does it seem that as I get older the vision of slamming down a hammer more often contains a warning about making sure my fingers are not in the way? The years of wild partying on the weekend are behind me, mostly because of the times that a 'finger' was found in the way of the slamming. Actually, I cannot claim very many wild parties even back in the day. As an introverted type of person, I more often watched others act out the stupid roles in party life. And, more than a few of those folks took to their roles with award-worthy zeal. What did all of that accomplish?

Apparently not much, as each weekend the performances were repeated with some actors in the same roles and others in the tragic parts. Movies and other media try to portray the pain that comes from a weekend of sin, but life does not end on Sunday evening. As the humans behind the party roles file into work on Monday, some will face the challenge and pain of an unexpected pregnancy. Others will be short of cash from paying bail money or fines. Some may have court dates, or perhaps the worst knowledge of all - the death of an innocent person from driving under the influence. Painful responsibility for the weekend of sin arrives on the doorstep without the fun and seduction that temptation brings with it. Before we can look down on those actors, we wonder at times what or who prevented some of those outcomes in our own lives.

In Christ, we don't have the luxury of claiming to have never sinned. More than likely, we too remember those years of playing the parts at parties. Having risked our lives and the lives of others through falling deeply into sin, we have no claim to any moral superiority. However, we can offer understanding, compassion, and an eager ear to listen when the troubles of sin come knocking. We also have opened the door to the Savior who brings healing, love, and hope. The world needs a good answer in Christ. The price of sin is too great for a body to bear even in this life.

God loves you!
Bucky

Don't Doesn't Mean Won't

That cluster of contractons reminds us that God sometimes tells us 'Not yet' as opposed to a flat out 'No'. A season of our lives may be tough to endure, but the seasons come and go. Like the summer we are struggling through this year, another season will follow. We do not yet know what the autumn will bring, and we do not yet know what our tomorrow will be like. The season of difficulty may be long, but the season may also end soon. The perfect example is the second coming of Christ. The season since our Lord's ascension has been long and difficult for the Church, but that season will end suddenly at the return of the Bridegroom. Today, God may say 'Don't', but that does not mean that His will is forever to be 'won't'. Today may be the start of a new season in your life.

At times, God waits patiently for us to get to a certain point in our development as Christ-ones. The season we endure may last only long enough to develop a level of character that God wants to see in us. You and I may not be able to tell when that point is reached, and we may despair of getting out of the current tribulation. God is watching us carefully as only God can, and your moment of relief may be sooner than you think right now. Don't give up on our trustworthy God; He won't leave us or forsake us!

Bucky

What Is It About Me?

Good morning as the summer heat continues. Please remember to pray for our nation and for rain across our land. Alrighty then! You and me are in this hole. We don't know entirely how it got so deep, so quickly, and we don't see a way out of it right now. All seems dark, yet Jesus is the light. What is it about me that cannot see the light at this moment? Did God leave me to the Devil for a season so that I might learn a lesson? What lesson am I to learn. Do you see the light on your side of the hole? Nope, what is it about you that cannot find the light? Are we not both Christian in name. Did we do something wrong to get here? I may not fall for the prosperity gospel, but a little relief would be nice right about now. Of course, we know that by staring into the darkness we will never see the light.

Jesus allows us to soak up all the darkness we want, if that is what we want to look at daily. The better way is to look to the light. One way to see light is to read the Word that is the Light and the Life. God left us His word so that we might read it often, regularly, deeply, and especially in times of deep darkness in our lives. We tend to turn away from the word just when we need to study it most. Things go badly at work and we blow off reading the Bible that day. Things on the financial front seem worse than ever. We get away from reading the word of God and turn to the Dummie's Guide to Finding Money in the Sofa by Shirley Yurnotseareyus. What is it about us that turns from God just when we need Him most?

We listen to that old nemesis, our old evil nature; that force in us Paul called the flesh. We listen to the nature that tells us that all is lost, never will we see again the light of day. Not once in our lives will a time of calm come when we listen to that sin nature. Even when a time of peace arrives, the flesh will tell us to watch out for the cliffs ahead. The Word of God does say that we will have tribulation, but it also reminds us to take courage and fear not, for "I have overcome the world!" Live for the Word of God, seek Him daily in the word of God. It may seem nothing but an old saw, but the darkness really does seem greatest just before the dawn breaks.

God loves you!
Bucky

What If I Missed The Mark?

Working early this morning and having breakfast late, what would I do if the Law required me to eat breakfast before the sunrise and work only after noon? We can strive and strive after the Law, but if we fail to keep the least rule, we are condemned for all of eternity. Jesus had the answer to keeping the Law: 'Be ye perfect even as your Father in Heaven is perfect.' I'm doomed, lost my chance at Heaven right there. I like the man we know as the rich young ruler in the Bible. He claimed to have kept the commandments since youth, but then Jesus gave him just one more. Crash! That one did him in, and the rich young man went off to lick his spiritual wounds. In watching the Olympic diving competition, it turns out there is a one hundred-point dive. One that earns all ten's and is supposed to be the perfect dive. We know that isn't really possible, but the divers train and practice to achieve that one dive.

You have seen the 10-meter platform diving. That is a mite too high for me even to look over, but these divers launch themselves off that platform doing somersaults, twists, and other bodily contortions in chasing that perfect dive. Now, suppose that the Law required only that one perfect dive. Perform it at the age of 10, and you're set to enjoy the remainder of your earthly life. Wait until you are 100, and the chances of making that dive might seem a bit remote. However, try as we might, most of us will never be able to dive off the 10-meter platform, much less achieve a perfect score. The more practice you do in pursuit of the one perfect dive, the more abuse your body, in particular your head, endures and the less chance you have of earning your way into Heaven. Fortunately, God is not in the business of judging us by our diving ability. Unfortunately, the keeping of the Law works in much the same way. The longer we live, the more our chances of blowing it. The good news is that Jesus, God's own Son, came and made that one perfect dive for all of us. We don't have to fret and worry over that one perfect dive to get into Heaven. So, why are we not enjoying the remainder of our lives and spreading the good news that we have in Christ?

Bucky

New Week, Same Problems

Ah, Monday, how you do serve to remind me that I am not home yet. When some new time period begins we often expect something to have changed. A new year is celebrated, a new month observed, but the life does not immediately change. Problems that beset us on Friday, greet us on Monday morning with a phone call or message in the ol' inbox. What has changed? What did we expect to change?

A new day brings a fresh outlook and rest from the previous day. What it may bring is a new understanding of God's word, if we will take the time to read it and apply it to our lives. God has not changed; perfection does not need change. However, God has changed us in some way as we grow in the love of Christ Jesus. We may not see the change and the problems faced may seem just the same. But, new things await us just where the dawn meets the sky if we have the courage to remain steadfast on the course that Christ has charted for us. Patience, faith, trust, these things are not easy for us. The world has proved our faith in it groundless, the patience of waiting for something to change in the world system tears us apart, and we learned through bitter experience that some people are not to be trusted. On the other hand, Christ calls us to trust in Him, to place our faith in Him, and to have patience while His plan is worked out in our lives. Yes, the same problems may loom after the weekend, but Jesus is on the job! Take courage and be not afraid; our Lord knows what we need and the best time to provide it.

Bucky

A Little Lamp Under a Dark Cloud

Good Friday morning! It seems that one day of relief may be granted us tomorrow, but we'll see when tomorrow comes. Today, the dark cloud hovers low over a little lamp. But in that lamp is not my light or your light. In that lamp is the very light of salvation: Jesus Christ. As the dark cloud hovers lower, pushed on by a foul wind from the prince of this world, the light seems to shine that much brighter in the gloom. We nervously look at the cloud as it spills its threat over us, but the true light continues to shine. Where the light touches the edges of the evil cloud the vapors of destruction are put to flight. The darkness desires to destroy the light, but the light is stronger. The dark cloud shifts its attention to the light bearer: that's you and me, friend.

We don't like it when the darkness of the world presses hard on us. We lose sleep, fight off anxiety, revel in depression, and reach for destructive habits when we look at that cloud and tremble. However, we are to look with love on our light and tend to that little lamp in preparation for our bridegroom's arrival. Our job is not to disperse the cloud, but to hold up our light. The Light will take on the darkness and dispel its evil influence; we must tend to our lamp with the Word of God and fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ. But we are not without a weapon of our own.

When the dark cloud of persecution, pressure, and pain presses us too closely, we can strike out with the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. Memorize those Bible verses. You my not have time to run back to the armory to get out your sword: belt it on at your side.

Bucky

That Burden? Why, It's Just Enough To Beat Myself Down With!

The night is long; the sleeper tosses, the dreamer turns over, and the wakeful wrestle with a burden too great for sleep. Each has enjoyed one of those positions, but the sweetest is the rest given by God to those who believe in His promises. Where were you last night? Did you take up a burden again that you had once given to the Lord? Was that burden just the right size to fit your weary shoulders? I am sure that it felt just so. An old pack worn by the same person for years may seem to fit much better than a new and lighter pack. The wood frame is bent and worn in just the right spots, the leather straps soaked through with sweat so many times that they seem soft to the touch. But the truth is that the new pack is better designed and built for greater comfort and less burden to the user. We are like the old pack hauler. Our burden feels right to our worldly shoulders. The yoke Christ gives to us is somehow too new, too light; we shouldn't have less toil under the burden. How can we ever earn our salvation through a lighter yoke and a dropping of the old burdens?

I woke up early this morning and took up a burden that has been over the years just the right size and weight to beat myself down with. Obviously, I can be penitent with this burden because it has beaten me down so many times before. Look at me earn my stripes which heal nothing. Look at me, Lord, I'm taking on the tough job all alone again; I must be ready for heaven! No and no! When will we learn to leave those burdens down and take up the new yoke of Christ. The yoke sufficient for all training and correction that Christ decides that we need. Not the old solo burden that we decide to beat ourselves with, but the new light yoke that pulls in a team of those who believe in Christ Jesus. I like the new yoke and the light and easy burden that Christ gives to me. The night is too short to take up that old burden again. Why did I do it?

Pride is perhaps the answer I need to apply this morning. I think that somehow I have to do it. There must be an answer that only I can provide. The right amount of self-flagellation through hard work, the correct amount of self condemnation, the final bucket load of suffering in silence, somewhere in these must lie the road to self-promotion to heaven. Sorry, old cow, it just doesn't work that way in the Good News of Christ. Stop it! Cease beating yourself up with old burdens too great for you to carry. Leave them at the cross and trust in Jesus.

Bucky

Oops, My Intended Consequence Got Lost Somewhere!

Good morning as most everyone prepares for another day of hot and more hot. It seems like I have spent most of the months of June and July in a hot and sweaty state, and I like to cry and whine about it most of the time too. I am staring down the muzzles of two cleaning products, which is the other story of my life this summer. Better news, late in the evening the final rocks were returned to their place around the house. I think we'll call for a break on digging for a bit and let the blisters and aches heal up some. Praise the Lord for jobs well done! On the other hand, the intended consequence of all the work you have endured my whining about for the past couple of months got mislaid somewhere. What many of us thought would happen has been delayed. What do we do when this happens?

I hope that I have endured enough testing and learned enough patience that this latest problem will be but an, 'Oh well, God is in control!'. However, my feelings get down, my mind wanders to thoughts of disaster and doom, and my faith in God stumbles. Soon, the thoughts of 'what if' and 'what next' come to dominate where once faith ruled. My intended consequence may even agree with God's intended consequence, but the timing is now off. What happened? Did I do or think something wrong?

We have enough to work on without trying to come up with reasons why God might have changed His mind about something we thought would happen on our time schedule. More than likely, we didn't do anything wrong with the exception of trying to schedule God's action. When I expected something may not be in line with God's perfect timing.In fact, given my origin in sin, how would I know perfect timing except that God show it to me? Instead, I come up with a schedule that seems good to me and then despair when my intended consequence gets lost somewhere. When I try to time the event, instead of bowing down to God in prayer and waiting, the only consequence may be the disappointment I feel when my expectations are dashed once more. Time to look to God and trust in Him.

Bucky

When The Heart Quails

Good morning on this mid-summer day. That seems a bit off to those looking forward to school. The final day of July is observed as the day before August, which seems all too obvious until you realize that summer vacation ends in August. As the dreaded thing approaches, the heart may quail in fear. The heart becomes incapable of bold action; it seems to quiver in the chest and push out waves of weakness to other parts of the body. We may find that the fear we felt for the approach of school as youngsters to be a tiny thing. The fears of adulthood are much greater. Death, financial ruin, sickness, dark basements, scary toys coming to life, mean clowns, we all have fears that seem very much more powerful in the moment. Some fears may even carryover from our childhood. If you feared heights as a child, you may now have a phobia. We get a fancier word, but the fear may be the same. Where do we turn when the heart quails within?

More than likely, you have tried various directions in your life. Some turn from fear to narcotics, others to alcohol in excess, one may hide from his fear in athletic games or sports, another may subsume his fear with competition in the business or financial world, some turn to spouses or friends - often infecting them with the fear too. Answers to fear in this world seem to come in the form of anger or ignorance. God simply tells us 'Don't be'. That sounds a little trite until we read further.

Nehemiah faced enemies armed with weapons and political influence. He told his people, "Don't be afraid of them. Remember the Lord who is great and awesome." Now that sounds encouraging. Remember the Lord... Jesus told the disciples to not fear, and calmed the storm in their presence. Jesus did not need calm waves for himself, He walked over the stormy sea, but He loved the disciples and calmed their immediate cause of greatest fear. The best cure for an immediate and overwhelming fear is Jesus. We learn to look to our Lord and not at the storm. Like the disciples, our hearts may quail in fear first before we listen to the Spirit reminding us of our powerful Lord. Remember the Lord who is great and awesome.

Bucky

Once Upon a Time...

There was a man named Abram who probably thought things were going pretty nicely right where he was. We do not know if God provided any forewarning of the coming upheaval in Abram's life such as an urge to see far lands, a dissatisfaction with the local attractions, or even a hint from his father. "Gettin' a might crowded around these parts, Abram. Thought you might like to see some new places before you hit 80 or so!" All we know is a bit of genealogy, and then 'boom' God tells Abram to get up and leave his country, family, and father's house, just like that. Not even a direction, just a vague statement about "A land that I will show you." An opportunity to trust in God for sure.

We like to know the destination before we leave. Seldom do we step out of our front door, get into the car, and just drive in a random direction until God says to stop. If someone says, "Come on, we're going on a journey." We immediately want to know the destination. Should I grab a jacket, rain gear, and a case of water, or do I need suitcases and a pet sitter? Are we talking the kind of journey such as I am taking now that involves U-Haul trucks and lots of packing help, or should I be talking professional moving companies? What kind of journey are we talking about here and where are we going? 'To a land that I will show you' is not a direction or a real destination, is it?

In this case, Abram packed up his wife and household and transplanted his life to the west. However, the promised land wasn't quite ready yet. It would be centuries before Israel became the mighty nation under King David and Solomon. Before that, the promised land was ready, but the Israelites were not. Like the ancient Israelites, we seem to be out of sync with our promised land too. We may have a home we would like to stay in, or a town that seems good for the time being, and friends that we don't want to leave, but, we also have a lot of things that don't seem quite right yet. No house or town can satisfy in this world. Friends come and go, and jobs may call us to another place. We want to settle down, but instead we find ourselves stuck in a rut, as the saying goes.

I rested yesterday, but today the final steps of the move get underway. God is with me every step of every day, but when I look at what remains to be done, it is still a fear-inducing prospect. The first load of 'stuff' is loaded on the truck and ready to roll. Life throws an upheaval my way. Will I get to settle down for a bit soon? All I know is that every house, apartment, trailer, tent, or pyramid is but a temporary quarters in this life. We go home when God calls us home and not before.

Bucky

Little Dirt Clods

This morning, I wondered at my ability to worry about the smallest things. When digging out the holes for my foundation work, I fretted over the little dirt clods rolling back into the hole. After all, I figured that I would have to work twice as hard to get every one of those out of the hole. Now that we are filling the hole back in, the worries over those little things seem far away and kind of useless. This might make a good opening for a devotion on the details in life, but today I thought that this entire life might one day be a sweaty, little detail we look back on and wonder over.

What if I live for 100 years on this earth? Here, now, it seems like an enormous stretch of time. I am not quite halfway there and my life seems an endless series of short adventures punctuated by long periods of relative boredom. One hundred years could hold many adventures for anyone, but what if that century is just the tiniest little detail in a hardly noticeable span of the millionth part of eternity that has only just begun? Apparently, I've been out in the sun too much this morning. However, my mental state is but one little detail in a life that is but a breath of wind in the span of God's eternity. This could be a heavy thought for the weekend, or a lighter thought when we realize that our troubles now will soon be but a small memory.

Have a wonderful weekend!
Bucky

Hope On The Horizon

Ah, football camps open throughout the land. The drought of 2012 continues, but there is hope when we see the wealthy modern-day gladiators arrive to begin work at their respective coliseums. Once upon a time, athletes and stage performers got by on little or nothing, some even performed as slaves. Today, those same trades can be among the most well-paid in the world. Those of you laboring to clean facilities as janitors, or keeping house with no pay, or working the farms as hired hands, you too have hope for the future. One day, the all-star janitor c. 2412 may command an absurd salary for doing what he or she loves to do. Nah, you're right, probably not. Somehow the gladiators, thespians, and minstrels took over the land, some even serving in public office as presidents and congress persons. Floor swabbers and stall muckers are still pretty much the same. Without the government mandated minimum wage, the wealthy would still keep them as slaves.

This is no idle speculation. In Revelation, we learn about the coming of the ultimate celebrity. A man so celebrated by the world that he will be given a crown. The world system will once more trade in slaves, not in the shadows as it is now, but out in the open. The citizens of this nation-state system will no doubt be very wealthy. Times for those who believe in Jesus will be terribly difficult, but... there will be hope on the horizon. Signs will appear and the time of the great persecution will be short. Some will die in the tribulation, but many will endure to see the arrival of Christ with His heavenly host. All our small tribulations lead to the same place: Christ arriving with healing in His wings. We may not get to see our Lord in person when coming out of a time of personal tribulation, but we know that His healing is here for us now. Does that mean that all cancer and other disease will be healed in this lifetime like some of the television folks say? No, I think that like the tribulation saints in Revelation, our horizon may open on a new land and to the sight of Jesus coming to greet us.

Bucky

Some Things Are Too Big

Good morning on the 'What day is it?' edition of our devotional. Fortunately, the realtor called yesterday and gave me a countdown to doomsday. In the anxiety and worry department, we can imagine a great many events that never happen. We can pile on the 'what if's' until we feel the paralysis of fear taking over life and happiness. Some things are just too big for us. We are commanded to give them over to God, but we like to entertain thoughts of fear and daydreams of tragedy like the unwanted mongrel that keeps eating at our back door. Of course, those with a little compassionate distance would tell us to stop feeding the mongrel and it will go away. Worry over something we cannot control is a way to feed the fear and keep it coming back for more good eats. What that fear is eating is our happiness, our thought life, even our physical life if kept around too long. We must give over the fear to Jesus.

When I think of how little I actually control in this world, it becomes clear that I need someone much bigger and more powerful than I am. Might as well throw in, more knowledgeable, ever present, and aware of the future too. In fact, it wouldn't hurt if this big, powerful being loved me, cared for me, and died to save me from my sins also. Hmm, kind of sounds like someone we know. Giving up our fears to God gives us the ability to serve Him in the way He has designed us to serve. God can help someone paralysed by fear, but He cannot get much use out of a person so stuck in fear and worry that no action can take place. Imagine trying to help out at the church while cowering under your bed covers in fear. Nope, wouldn't work very well. Gotta put that faith into action!

Bucky

Not Polite - Put In A Way Parents Won't Recognize

Good morning on this first day of the work week. I know that I have, and I suspect that you have too. We have changed a word to something that we think parents will not figure out. Cockney slang is words changed so that the police won't figure out what is being said. Gangsta talk in the 'hood, this thing of ours, tech jargon, and in many other ways we take a perfectly understandable language and make it difficult. Sometimes it is children making up a secret language, other times adults do it. We get together in a group and seek to exclude others from our communication with a changed way of talking. One of the first things we do in life is take a word that would earn us a well-deserved punishment and change it into something that is as close as we can come without arousing suspicion from the authorities. Of course, the first authorities are the parents in most cases. The intent is to deceive and we start out in life with some ability in this area and develop it as we grow older.

We find that as we grow from sibling relationships to neighborhood clubs, on to school cliques or gangs, and into our adult societies that we kind of enjoy having a secret, but generally aren't very good at keeping one. Any group with a secret ritual backs it up with some threat for exposure, including expulsion from the group to fines and in some cases actual physical punishment. Often the only thing that makes a secret ritual special is to do the obvious, and keep it a secret known only to those initiated into the group. A mysterious ritual with a published manual in the local library is not much of a mystery. On the other hand, Christian groups with secret rituals or closed meetings may have something wrong going on.

The good news of Jesus Christ is not a secret to be kept among a select group. Throughout the history of churches, someone always wants to put together an elite group, sometimes with secret rituals or closed meetings. In a society such as ours where we are allowed to practice our worship of God in the open, it makes no sense to close the doors and whisper secret passwords to each other. Secret meetings in the dark tend to increase the temptation to sin. We have this tendency to forget that God is watching when we think that no humans can see us. Fear of God helps us to do the right thing when we see every opportunity to do what is wrong. Fear of the parental authority may cause a child to resort to secret whispers in the dark, but it also motivates the right kind of behavior in a child. The better way is a cleansing of the heart so that we want to obey God, but until that is fully completed in us by the Spirit, we need a little fear to keep us in the light. May God forgive us our sneaky ways. Didn't I outgrow that kind of thing? Surely do wish that was always the case.

Praise God for grace!
Bucky

A Moving Experience

Good morning as the sun begins to roast us a good 'un today. The painting went quite well this morning; thanks go out to Jeff and his son, Eric, for their help today. Another weekend, another move...and I certainly cannot point any fingers, because the very next week, I will be the cause of that very thing. The hottest part of the hottest year in recent decades, and the moving experiences just keep on coming. I have faith that God provides always just the right number of persons at the right time for each move. Have I sometimes questioned God's number, perhaps even gone so far in my mind or mouth as to dispute His estimate of the situation? You bet, I must confess that sin in me. In fact, I remember thoughts very like that as I dug a couple of deep holes around my house. But, the holes got dug, in plenty of time, and it didn't kill me. So who was right? The moves that have seemed short of people, and I have been on a couple of them, still got done, in plenty of time, and no one got hurt or died. So was God right in His provision, or was I right in my grumbling? The results speak for themselves of course. God is always right, and when I grumble against Him - I am always wrong. Blessed be the name of the Lord!

We have the ability to complain and grumble. Now, a complaint may happen and we don't sin. Conditions, such as the heat we have experienced this summer, may bring out a complaint or two. We are uncomfortable and the conditions outside could be dangerously hot. This is a part of the curse on the world and we are not expected to love it. Grumbling, such as the Israelites did back in the day, is a more serious matter. God brings us out of a place and we grumble that He should have left us there, or we want to go back and so we stop obeying God's calling to the promised land. Either one is a sin against God. Grumbling is when we call God things like mean or unfair or hateful. Perhaps we don't use those exact words, but constant complaining can lead us into grumbling of the type that God hates. Trust and faith are the antidotes to the grumbling that gets us into hot water with God. I may be uncomfortable in the heat outside today, and of course I need to be careful in this kind of heat, but God will not lead me out without good reason. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

Bucky

Things That Make You Pause

So, a person I have an appointment with one day makes the comment, "It's a dying town..." The next day, I call a realtor in that town and she will not be available the following morning. She has a funeral to attend. A few minutes later, I have to pause. You can spin your own interpretation of that sequence of events. I'll just keep my big mouth shut. I am glad that the pause did not occur to me while on the phone. Actually, it was the mad temptation to giggle that I am glad did not occur to me at that precise moment.

I am worried that in some ways I tend to take off without consulting God first. The speed of events in this world can seem to overwhelm. Decisions must sometimes be made without time to sit for an hour or two with the Word of God and a prayer. What then causes me to pause and hear a statement in my poor confused brain: 'I am with you always, even to the end of the age.' I may not be able to slow down the mad charge of this world, but I have never been in control of much. God is in control. The speed of this world is not catching our Lord by surprise. In fact, Daniel prophesied that a time would come when people would rush about. I think we are at that point, or at least very close to it.

We put a lot of effort into saving for a rainy day, stocking the pantry for a blizzard, or in every way preparing for disaster. In spite of our best efforts, disaster strikes and we are left with little or nothing. We tend to blame ourselves, "Next time, I will be better prepared!" However, the Lord is not put off by our little preparations when trusting in Him alone is what we need to learn. Our storehouses will be taken down if we come to trust in them in place of having faith in God first. Jesus called the prosperous man foolish who trusted in his harvest and grain bins. It is easy to look at the numerals of a large retirement account and say, "I'm good, trust in me." The Lord would have us to learn why He is named 'Providence' by many in the words of the founding fathers of America.

We sometimes do well in our own strength, until that strength comes to an end, and then we remember to cry out to the Lord. Remember first to thank God for the strength He has given. Call for help when you begin the task; the Lord may not send help until your strength is exhausted. In your weakness is my glory and strength, the Lord reminds us. We are not saved in our strength, but in that area where we are weak - the temptation to sin. All of us have a sin that seems open to easy attack by the Adversary. Paul may have called that his thorn when he spoke of asking three times to have it removed. God did not remove it, but used it for His own glory. Trust in the wisdom of God.

Bucky

Praise The Lord For The Day

We can start a day with complaining about this or that, or we can choose to begin the day right. As we grow in Christ, it may become apparent that we need no special or particular reason to praise God for the day. That PCH van didn't show up at my door this morning, and why should I look to that kind of worldly windfall for a reason to praise anyway? If I need a special circumstance to praise God then I am not serving with the correct attitude. A morning can be a good enough reason to wake up praising God. An evening should be more than enough reason to fall asleep praising God. Afternoon, mid-day, anytime is a good time to praise the Lord. We can list the things we are grateful for, and that is a good exercise at any time, or we can simply sing a song of praise. If our neighbor is looking down about something perhaps we can shout a good... wait a minute.

In love, we learn that first finding out what is wrong with our neighbor might be reason enough to keep our praise to a softer level, perhaps even simply a prayer of praise within our own mind. If our neighbor just received bad news such as the passing of a dear friend, we can praise God silently that we are in a position to join in sorrow with our neighbor. Shouting a stout 'Hallelujah!" might not be the best thing for a grieving neighbor or friend. He might not feel like praising the Lord at just that moment.

I praise God for the day, but I am also learning to be sensitive to those around me. We will all praise God together one day when all tears have been wiped away and sorrow and death are no more. What a great day that will be! Today is a day of praise for me; it may at the same time be a day of mourning for another. We look forward to that day when all can praise God as one.

Bucky

Nope, Didn't Hit Bottom Yet

Good morning! The fluffy little clouds, the cool breeze, the comfortable temps, this does not speak of a day in the triple digits (again). What is seen around you or me may not indicate that one of us is seeking the bottom of a dark valley. This morning I did not hit the bottom of my hole. My hope did not arrive with the morning dig. However, that condition belies my belief that I am on the climb out of my own dark valley. A lot of work remains in my climb, but problems are being solved and the light is shining. You may want to 'check your six' as they say, you might still be looking for the bottom of your dark valley. Now, that's not a very encouraging thing to hit you with today. Let's say that both of us have been led by our Lord into a dark valley and both of us are on the way back up to the peak. Many is the time that in a trial by fire we miss the bottom, and still complaining we begin the journey upward with our Lord. Only later, when looking about on a peak of peace and joy in this world, do we realize that Jesus faithfully led us completely through the dark times.

The climb up the other side of that trial by affliction did not seem like a time of increasing joy and peace. At times, that climb may have seemed very much like the bottom of the dread and despair. Looking back though, we may wonder now why we thought ourselves so afflicted when things had begun to improve before we fully realized it. Once more, we must face the fact that we should have been grateful to God well before any gratitude appeared in our poor, downtrodden minds. Ya know, things aren't always so bad in this life. Muscles may be sore, joints may ache, hearts may mourn, minds may worry, but Jesus is faithful, God is generous and kind, and the Spirit in us praises the Lord without ceasing. We do have much to be encouraged about, and much more to be grateful for in Christ. Live for the day!

Bucky

God Lifts Me Up

Good morning as we begin another week of toil in whatever salt mine you labor in to make or maintain your living standard in the era of downsizing and the downtrodden. Whew! Note to self: Never again work up a greeting that long or complex. As I work to dig down another foot or so each morning (I rested yesterday), I become more than ever aware of how close I am at any moment to failure. Not the pessimistic kind of thinking that we strive to avoid, but the realization that life here is so very fragile. A wrong step on the shovel, a step backward off a ledge, a twist of the back, and my career in dirt mining is done for at least a while if not for this lifetime. We are upheld by our Lord each and every day...along with a little thing called the universe. In Hebrews 1:3, we read that Jesus upholds the universe with the mighty power of his command. You and I too are upheld by more than just our physical strength and coordination. This is a better and better thing as we get older because those strength and coordination things get more and more difficult.

As I think about my age, I have come slowly to realize that I probably won't make the Olympic team this year. Other factors may be involved as well, but we'll stick with my age for today. I probably won't make the 2016 team either, even with 4 years to prepare. As we like to say in one of those nonsensical statements, the athletes get younger each time the Olympics come around. This obviously cannot be true or we would be watching little sperms and eggs compete by now. We understand this statement to come from people growing older and further away from their dreams of Olympic glory. The fact that I cannot run the 100 meters in less than nine minutes anymore does not mean that I am not upheld by our Lord. Yes, I did mean 'minutes'. 9.58 seconds, the current world record for running 100 meters, is about what I use to pour a good cup of coffee. Later, I might run somewhere to answer a call of nature, but I am not going to set any world records even with that incentive. I may never set any kind of speed record in anything that I do. Some folks rush about in everything they do, but I was never built for much speed, and as I grow older I find myself actively resisting any attempts to speed me up. It is enough for me to know that God lifts me up in all things.

Bucky

Not What I Thought It Was

Good Friday morning on this 13th day of July. Have you ever known, I mean really known with assurance, that something was what it was, only to find out that it most definitely was not? Perhaps you have learned the meaning of 'known with arrogance' such as the designers of the Titanic came to know about the word unsinkable. Many a work of man has received acclaim in various ways beginning with the tower of Babel. At times God causes the work to fail, at other times it just wasn't what they thought it was. After days of laborious digging in fairly soft earth, I found a bit of dirt more consistent with my pessimistic expectations. The final stroke of the shovel for this morning's digging required a leap of faith to set the blade.

"I say, Horatio, old fellow, I seem to have discovered a gusher in the yard. Do be a good chap and pass out the life jackets while I run for the valve down below!"

The gusher also happened to be filling up the very hole I spent hours digging out. The poor cat nearly got plowed in my haste to shut off the water downstairs, but I managed to stop the flow before my hole became a moat. These sort of things could almost make one believe in the myth of Friday the Thirteenth, but I tend toward the arrogance of human knowledge theory. The problem could lie in the absentmindedness of the tired miner too. Jeff and I replaced that section of piping not that long ago, and I should have remembered that it was there. Alas, you are taking devotional instruction from a man who sets out to waterproof his foundation only to attempt to create a moat instead. Whatever day it may be, I do know one thing without the slightest hint of arrogance: Jesus loves you and me. 'Nuff said!

Bucky

Conditions Are Ripe

Now, I can see that the thermometer says 63°, but why did I get so hot so quickly this morning? The temperature is obviously only one measure of the conditions around us. We talk about the relative humidity a lot, but we fail to see that little measurement called the dew point. If the air temp and the dew point are close together, a body cannot sweat to cool down. Combine that with zero breeze and the sprinklers pumping water into the air and ground all around, and that same body might as well try to work in a sauna. The dew point thing does not happen often around these parts, not like the eastern lower elevations where it can stay high all day long. Mornings and evenings can see a high dew point though, and that is of course when I am outside trying to dig a deep hole. The bugs also like to gather in a crowd and tease me when there is no breeze in the air. That pretty much sums up life in this world: When you need to do a lot of hard work to get out of a hole, you cannot catch a break. And once you are down in the hole, there is always a crowd ready to tease you about it. Conditions become ripe in a hurry when sweating in a hole for a cry out to God for help. Conditions in the hole also become pretty ripe when the sweat doesn't evaporate away, but that is another subject.

We may find it difficult to sing a song of praise and joy when conditions are so bad that we are overheating rapidly and attracting bugs. These things do not populate our dreams of comfort. A little heat and sun when combined with an onshore breeze and a nice sandy beach is more to our liking. Skip the bugs entirely, please. We have some idea of what conditions in heaven should be, or at least what might make the earth a bit more like our idea of heaven, but we seldom achieve these conditions here in this life. A person might work for two years to purchase a vacation at a nice beach resort. Two years of labor for a two week vacation, how fair is that? The vacation quickly fades in memory as a good time gone by, and we are back to the grinding toil of the world. Well, ya can't say we weren't warned. The Bible very early on tells of Adam and his sin. Adam gained the knowledge of good and evil, and a whole lot of toil and thorns to go with it. We inherited all of this, and each day to our toil we will go.

The change in us becomes apparent when we cease complaining about the toil, and start praising God for the relief and rest...and the toil. Do we have to praise God for the toil too? Well, the world could praise God for a nice vacation. No one needs a changed heart to be grateful for a good time of nice weather and no work. Revelation prophecies a time when God will be given glory, but the sinners doing it still refuse to repent of their sin. To see the changed life of the Christ-one, the world must know that we praise God for the tribulation times just as much as we praise Him for the easy times. Yes, I agree, we don't yet praise with the same enthusiasm and good cheer that we do the good times. Jesus never claimed that life from our rebirth would be a long stay on Vacation Road. One day though, we will stand with Jesus and see how the long periods of toil did so much more for our own good than the short times of rest and relaxation ever did. By the way, Jesus will also cleanse us from the stink and stain of sin on that day. The ripeness of hard work is easily remedied, but we need Christ to get rid of that stench of sin.

Have a better toil this day!
Bucky

Gone Diggin'

In order to find out what is under your house you can, 1 - drill holes in your basement floor, or 2 - dig down to the bottom of the foundation walls and then start excavating under the floor. One thing I can tell you about digging out the foundation is that by the time I arrive at the bottom, any curiosity about what is underneath will have long since been pushed out by various aches and pains. As I was there for the construction, I have good idea about what I might find, dirt and rocks, and perhaps a bit of construction 'trash'. On the other side of that curious coin is those who have no idea what lays under the surface of their home or property (or the neighbor's property). Gradually, they can become convinced that some sort of buried treasure is there, just out of sight...waiting to take them to life on Easy Street. We can stand up here in the light of day and laugh at such a notion, but we have also felt it in some way. The big lotteries in our nation speak of that longing we all feel.

That feeling is not exactly a bad thing. Of course, it is wrong if the feeling becomes centered on greed and money (or digging up the neighbor's back yard). However, that seeking feeling in our soul also leads us to search the Bible scriptures, to seek out other Christians, and to ask God. Sometimes a seeker may send up a prayer to the heavens, "Are you there, God?" We believe, but not all believe yet and a prayer like that is a good way to start a search. A person may ask you why it is that you seem content with the future, or your future in particular. You would then have the opportunity to share your great hope in Christ. Questions can be bothersome at times, but that question may be the one chance we have to share. The seeker may go a way we warn him away from. We too searched many different beliefs and ways before Jesus broke through the stone around our hearts. Have faith in Christ. The Holy Spirit will watch over those seekers chosen by God to find the narrow way.

Bucky

Echoes of Eternity

The morning is cool and nice for digging... Uh, did you say 'digging'? Yes, my morning workout was put to good use this morning. Now on this nice and cool morning, I am hot and sweaty and more than a little dirty too. Will we have to dig in heaven? Pretty sure that 'have to' is out, but I'm not sure about 'want to'. However, the very action of digging speaks of earth and soil and things that are down under. Not in Australia down under, but down under heaven. We speak of eternity in faint echoes from the Bible. The secular books and movies showing this thing or that know no more than we do about heaven, and perhaps quite a bit less than we give 'em credit for. However, we all have visions of what heaven might be, and I suspect there is some faint echo of eternity coming from the Holy Spirit in us. If we put all of our faint echoes together, and then add it to what we can glean from God's word, we might come some tiny bit close to a hint of what might be a small impression of the greatness of eternity with Jesus our Lord. We are so very bound to the earth and our experience here that we can hardly know the wonder behind God's promise to bring us home one day. We go on faith in God's greatness, and in that same limited view we can hardly know the greatness of God either. On that subject, however, we do have much to study and read and learn in God's own word. A great God must surely have something great in store for you and me.

Bucky

To Bring Forth The Witness

Good morning, as we try once more to figure out exactly what sort of summer 2012 will bring. This year the June rains arrived in July after the wheat harvest came early due to the drought and heat of late spring and early summer. What is next for us? A more normal sort of summer, or what exactly is normal for us anymore? This morning in the cool of the day, I thought what a privilege it is to speak in a small way for God. My witness is of God and what His Son did for me. Now, I often confuse that with my resume, which is a listing of what I have accomplished in this life. Some of us look at our lives and decide there is not enough accomplishment to warrant a witness. Some of us try to tell the story of all that we have been through in this life. Those things certainly help round out a good story, but the essence of our witness is His story, the good news of Jesus Christ. No one can be saved by my story apart from the most important part - that which Jesus has done for me in my life. The greatest witness of what Jesus has done is not the speaking or writing part, but the silent speech of a changed life.

So, where then does all of our unique experiences, life events, good stories, and such come in to this witness? God created you and me with special powers. Not jumping over tall buildings kind of powers, though I admit that might be amusing for a bit, but the sum total of all that we are. Take what you are now, combined with what has happened in your life and what you have learned, and top that off with what Jesus did for you and to you, and present this special creation as your witness. You may never be called to give a public speech, but people look and some will be led to ask about you. God created you and saved you for His purpose. Before the day you and I said 'yes' to Jesus, our Lord was at work in our lives shaping our witness for that day when we would begin to be the witness. We are called to witness because we are the witness, the witness for Jesus Christ. What a privilege we enjoy.

Bucky

Everything Looks Innocent...On The Outside

Good morning after our big rainstorms in the middle of the night. If the written word seems a little sleep-deprived this morning, that's alright 'cuz the writer certainly feels that way. I took a tour around the house, but everything looked innocent on the outside. No big floods on the inside, but after the downpour around midnight, I felt that something might be a little displaced in the morning to show how much rain we had or some other sign that it wasn't all a bad dream. As I pondered that, I realized that many persons look innocent...on the outside. Serial killers, or sociopaths to use the psych term, often live among their neighbors without raising the slightest alarm. The news reporters have no trouble finding neighbors, friends, and coworkers who had no idea the man was 'capable of such horrific acts'. This is an extreme example of a common failing. We all look innocent on the outside most of the time, but God sees what is going on in our deepest, most secret and well-guarded heart of hearts.

We learn early on in life to put up the white-washed sepulchre in front of our inner dwelling place. People want us to be good kids, good neighbors, good people, but the Bible says there is none who is good. Before we give our lives to Jesus to be reborn, we learn to put up those fronts of public goodness. Back in the days of secretive sin, we obeyed the laws, or at least most of them. We lived under the authority of our government without protesting too loudly or joining in the sign-waving fests. Our complaints about political candidates or elected officials were generally not very serious, more of a passing the time sort of thing. As children, we received a whipping when we deserved one, and so we cannot blame an abused childhood for the occasional fault that slips out in public. We look good to casual observation, but we pilfered office supplies at work, cheated on the speed 'suggestions' put up by the state government, and perhaps took a tax deduction in a so-called grey area. Oh, but those little sins are nothing compared to what went on in our secret thoughts during that time.

God looked past the white-washed public front though... and sent His Son to die for our sins. Everyone looked so very sinful on the inside, and Jesus still sacrificed himself on the cross to save us. How does that make you feel? I have tried to be good enough for Heaven on the outside, and failed. The inside life that no one sees is so much worse, and yet, Jesus died to save me. That is just so, uh, opposite of everything I learned before my rebirth in Christ. Even now, my flesh cannot understand a love so great. Perhaps you have met a skeptic in the world who asked the question, 'What was in it for Jesus?' As far as we can tell from the Bible, nothing but a lot of pain and the horror of separation from His Father. Jesus gained the victory over death, but we gained all the benefits of His victory. Yes, we did - the ones who try so hard to look innocent on the outside while harboring the darkest of thoughts on the inside. It boggles the mind. Praise God for a love so great that we are saved through Christ alone.

Bucky

A Shot In The Dark

Sounds like the start to a certain bad novel, but that line is, "It was a dark and stormy night." Snoopy wrote it several times as he struggled to become a published author. I haven't used it yet, but at this point I will reject no possibility. This morning, I gave some thought to a shot in the dark. In many places, i.e. cities around the world, a shot in the dark is sort of like the trains for us. They come and they go, and as long as the blast of the horn doesn't sound right outside your window, you roll over and go back to sleep. In these parts we don't hear many shots in the dark. To hear one would be a cause for concern. Where did that come from? Is a madman with a gun on the way to our home next? If we heard a shot at night followed by a bone-chilling scream, then we might arm ourselves, call the authorities, and forget about sleep for the remainder of the night. We do at times take a 'shot in the dark' in a manner of speaking.

I have felt the pain of that shot many times. Sleep is suddenly stolen away by a thought of anxiety as the evil one 'shoots' me with one of his faith-stealing bolts. At night, I do not sleep unguarded by the angels of the Lord, but some shots are allowed through my guard and my armor. The Lord may be testing me, or I may allow the bolt to strike me by reaching for it. The flesh is full of worries and fears. As if the evil one were not enemy enough, our flesh will awaken us with nightmares and thoughts of dread. The temptations that arise in the flesh during the waking hours are not the only battleground we face each day. So many things that we should leave with God, such as those anxious worries for the future, are paraded past our quivering minds during the hours of darkness. There is a power behind those anxious thoughts, whether it is our own mind of flesh or the Adversary's minions. Want to cause some confusion to both parties? Think the name, "Jesus".

Start your call with a simple name. It is amazing to me how powerful the name of Jesus is when my thoughts are running to and fro from one anxiety to this worry and to that fear. With that in mind, I also wonder why I don't say it sooner and more often. There is indeed a perverseness in me that enjoys the horror show for a while at night. This lack of trust in God gives way only after I cause myself unnecessary suffering. Say the name of Jesus quickly and say it sooner. Learn to pray at the start of worry. Trust in God in the darkness of the night. Begin the night's sleep with a prayer for guarding and guiding. Trust and have faith, o ye of the trembling fear!

Bucky

What Is The Length Of A Trial?

A cloud threatens to bring wind and rain to us this morning. The weatherperson threatened us with another 'hundred' last night. The storm, the heat, or both for our morning? We don't know until it happens, and the same goes for the length of our trials. God does not send out a schedule or project plan for our development into the image of Christ. We don't get the date a trial or season of testing will come to a close. The length of a trial is: just long enough for God to complete His purpose in our lives. The season that seems to us so difficult to bear is just difficult enough to make us cry out to Jesus. Great! The next time this happens, I'll cry out right away and avoid a whole lot of suffering. Sorry, God is not a human that he can be so easily fooled. Your suffering, my trial, his testing, her tough time, whatever we want to call it will last just the right amount of time. All along the twisting trail into and out of this dark valley, God will send His Son to be with us every step of the way. Along that way, we will often cry out for our Savior, and He will always be there before the cry ceases to quiver on our lips.

What if the trial does not end in this lifetime? Many of our Christian brothers and sisters have suffered long in this world before going home. Are we to be like them? Maybe, we do not see the end at the start of our descent into the dark valley of testing. What better reward for our endurance than to wake up in Heaven and see the smiling face of our Savior? How much easier would the current test be if we knew it was our last? We might leap down into the valley of testing too quickly, trying in our haste to rush God's timing and grasp our reward before the effect of our trial is complete. Trust in God's wisdom. If we cannot see the end, it is because God knows that it is better that we do not see at this time. The length of the trial is in God's control; we have nothing to fear.

Bucky

Happy Independence Day

What do we say? The 'hundreds' have dropped out of our weather forecast, the evening rains have returned, do we dare hope that summer has returned to a more normal mode? Faith says: Praise God for the relief from the serious heat. Doubt says: I'll believe it when I see it. Both may come to mind at nearly the same time fighting for space in my thoughts. Does one make me sinful and the other faithful? Actually, if we read what Paul has to say in Romans, we come to realize that this war raging within us is a sign that the Spirit has come to dwell in our hearts. We want to listen to only the faithful voice of the Spirit, but the flesh born in sin and raised in a fallen world speaks up too. At times, the voices may be difficult to discern as the flesh gets help from a band of clever liars who follow their chief, the father of lies. In a way, at our rebirth in Christ, we declared our independence from sin and death. Like many nations, a declaration of independence does not mean the fight is over, rather that the fight has only just begun. The world and its prince do not want to give up their captives.

Declaring our independence from this world does not mean that we get to live somewhere else either. The temptations to sin are all around us, and in our thoughts as well. An idle moment from the toil brings thoughts of lust for this thing or that, almost like someone waits to pounce upon us as soon as we are still. Is there no rest in this world then? No, not 'in this world'. We must look in a different direction for our rest. We must seek the way to find rest. Hold the phone, didn't someone claim to be the way? Why yes, He did in John 14:6. By seeking the way, the truth, and the life, we have what we need to combat the confusion, the lies, and the death that surround us in this world. Anxious thoughts are stilled by thinking on Jesus and His sovereign will. Death-like depressed thoughts are lifted up from the muck by thinking on the risen Savior and His promise to return. The deceptions of the world are uncovered by the truth of God's Son. Life here is not easy, but we do not face it alone. The enemies may gather in strength, but our God is the Almighty. Live ever more closely to our Lord and His wonderful Word. We cannot face win this fight on our own.

God bless you on this Independence Day!
Bucky

Just My Calling, Please

Good morning! We all have a calling from God. No problem, most of us realize that, but what happens when we try to do something that is not in our calling? The struggle may cause despair to grow in us. That is, if I try to do something that seems to be a good and godly work, such as preaching sermons on Sunday mornings, but I am not made by God for that calling, the strain can become too much for me. God strengthens and trains us for our respective callings, but His strength may be lacking in those endeavors you and I are not called to perform. I am not trying to give any of us an excuse for not helping out around the church. Every church has many tasks that are not callings, but chores and we can all help out there. Callings align with the gifts of the Spirit. Teaching, for example, is not a chore that anyone can do when it needs doing. Teaching requires preparation, reading of the Word, prayer, and a calling from God.

But, despair is not the only enemy of our good works. Pride may come when a ministry is successful, but not a calling from God. Many an evangelist has built up a popular following, raised up funds to build larger churches and finally reached the point of national television ministry. The money pours in, the minister receives speaking invitations, some may be saved by Christ, but the minister sits back and says to himself, "Look what I have built!" The work itself was not wrong, but perhaps that man was never called by God to be a pastor at all. God could see the potential for pride that comes with fame, acclaim, and lots o' loot, and called the man to what pride would tell us is a lesser calling. Instead, the man wanted to be one of those preacher men on television, and he succeeded. A preaching ministry, when called by God, is actually an antidote to pride. The minister called by God is on-call 24/7x365. His Sunday sermon is bisected and dissected by the armchair Bible scholars. Self-elected pundits and critics will come forward to let him know everything he did wrong and what he should do better in every aspect of his life. And let us not get started on what the world will bring to bear on that preacher from that little church on the hill. A calling from God is not a call to a life of ease and smooth sailing.

We cannot perform our own calling well without the strength of God at work in us. Trying to do more than what God created each of us to do in His kingdom brings stress that we do not need. God may let us go to fail in our own abilities, or worse, let us succeed until pride overwhelms. Today, just my calling, please, dear Lord. The work you have set before me is enough to prove my need for your strength and guidance. Teach me to be content with what I have in you. Amen.

Bucky

Way To Pray, People!

Good Monday, as the sun rises through the orange haze. Yesterday, the pastor called for us to pray for rain to heal our parched land and bring some relief from the heat. We prayed and the rains came yesterday evening. Good job praying! Give yourselves a pat on the back... wait, what is wrong with this picture? When we make a request in prayer, we do not complete the action. I can no more make it rain with prayer than a witch doctor with his rattles and chants. The credit goes to the one who answered the prayer, not the one who made the request. We made the request to God who causes the rain to fall on the just and the unjust. The good response is in the rain and the glory is due the responder, and not the humble supplicant. I am grateful for the opportunity to pray for rain, but I cannot make it rain by prayer. When the rain arrives in response to prayer, I cannot claim that my great faith made it rain. My faith often wobbles and falls down. When faith produces a response to prayer, it is because my faith was placed in the hands of a great God.

It is too easy to give ourselves the credit when a prayer is answered in place of giving God what is due Him when He chooses to answer our prayers. The proper response is one of thanksgiving to God, not a pat on the back for those who made the request. In a restaurant, we give our compliments to the chef for a wonderful meal. We would not give a compliment to ourselves for choosing well from the menu or for coming into the restaurant at just this time and place. If the service is well performed, we tip the one who did the table waiting. What would you think of the one who, in place of a gratuity, patted himself on the back for sitting in his chair properly? How easily we fall to the temptation to grab a little glory for ourselves in prayer. The pastor issues the call, we make the request to God, and the rains come. Then the tempting thought comes, "Good job on that prayer! Look what I did! Praise me!"

Forgive us, Lord, for failing to give you the glory. Please lead us away from the temptation and deception of the evil one. Thank you for answering our prayers. Thank you, Lord, for the wonderful rain last night. Thank you for loving us and providing for us. To you, dear Lord, be the glory and honor. Amen.

Bucky

Burning Eyes At Sleepytime

Good morning! I opened the windows for some fresh nighttime air after 0130 and made a rather burning error along the way. The wind brought the smoke from the Colorado fires to us again last night. It's not an import we care to have but certainly better than the fire. Sleep doesn't work well with burning eyes and an itchy nose though, and coolish air or not I got back up and shut the windows. The dawn came orange this morning and I woke up a little fuzzy myself. Not, 'What day is it?' or 'Where am I?' fuzzy, but more of a 'Woof, that was a tough night' kind of fuzzy. The cat on the other hand was enjoying life to the fullest. Whenever I am going through the valley of a tough time, someone else is on a peak. The time will come when I am on a peak, and it will then be my turn to offer comfort and understanding to another.

Peaks and valleys again? I seem to write about the valley a lot lately. I guess when life seems to be in the bottom of a valley, it is easy to look up and wonder at the peaks. But Jesus is not standing up on a peak looking down when I am laboring through the valley. For not one of us could push through the briers and thickets of the valley floor without our trailblazer to follow. We tend to look around at the impenetrable mess of thorns all around us and feel the urge to give up. But, Jesus leads us through, often turning around to tell us to stop looking at the thorns and concentrate on the path ahead. Perhaps I should say, 'on the Way ahead'. We see the arrows of the devils and demons coming at us and despair. We feel the barbs of the thorns in life and want to quit walking. But the devils and demons shoot from a distance because they see what we forget, the Shepherd walking with us in this life. The plants of tribulation with their sharp thorns draw back in respect for the Holy Spirit in us, puncturing our armor only as much as they are allowed and no more. Life seems tough at times and despair easy to grab. As always happens, someone is there with me and you to tell us once more, "Look to Me, lift up your head and see the Light, live another day in Me!"

If we knew the number of our days, we would step on out with renewed purpose. The destination would be in sight and our eternal home on our minds. That number may not be known to us, but it is finite and the great day of our Lord is coming. Swiftly we will go to Jesus, and like the fellow who died at 102 we will say, "It all went by so fast!"

God bless you,
Bucky

It Touched Me!

Good morning on this great day in the Lord! A touch may relieve stress. A touch may also cause stress. The world sometimes makes a joke of being touched. But the touch of a loved one is something we seek and enjoy. Let us today consider a touch that we may not have pondered before: the touch of God's glory. We are born again to reflect the glory of God's own Son. In order to reflect the glory of Christ to the world, that glory must first touch the reflecting surface. In other words, God's glory touches you and me.

At the first, the reflecting surface may seem a bit dim. We don't reflect Jesus very well when we commit that same old sin. We don't reflect God's glory well when we act as the world acts. But with each trial and affliction, our reflecting surface is refined in the fire of God's forge. We grow and shine better as God makes us into that perfect reflection of His Son. When God has made us so that people of the world see Jesus in our lives, then we have become good reflectors. But, in order to reflect well, we must be touched by the glory of God.

What a privilege to be touched by the glory of God, the Almighty One! How is it that we as sinners born and bred could deserve to ever be touched by such magnificence? The saving grace of Christ Jesus must indeed be far more potent than we can imagine. In our old lives we looked like lumps of bad coal, reflecting nothing but the blackness of sinful hearts. In the eternal life in Christ we come to look like diamonds - tough, valuable, and so very reflective. Without light to reflect though, a diamond is not beautiful to look at. In order to reflect and refract that light in beautiful colors, the diamond is first touched by the light. What marvelous grace have we to be touched by the very light of heaven himself, Jesus our Lord.

Bucky

We Can Do Better...But It Won't Save Us

Good morning! I want to address yesterday's spiritually weak devotional, but yesterday is gone. I cannot erase the words or take them back. We look forward because Christ is there waiting to bring us home or preparing to come to us in the clouds of His glory. We look to the past not to trample our esteem in the shame and regret of our past actions and words, but to see the saving hand of Jesus at work in our lives. So I hit a foul ball yesterday; today is my time to try for the home run one more time. I can do better than something I did yesterday, but it will not save me. You can do better than that thing you did, but it won't save you. There is a good reason we walk around with 'Jesus saves!' on our lips. We cannot save anyone. My new desire from the Holy Spirit is to save others in the way that I am saved. That way is not of me, but of Christ our Lord. In fact, that way, the man Christ Jesus, is the only way that we can be saved.

We may spend too much time dining with regrets or raking ourselves over the coals of past shame. Today, let us look up to Jesus and spend our time thinking on what He has done in our lives. Let us look out at the harvest ready under the hot sun and go forth in our calling to save the world. Your calling may be at the very workplace Christ has planted you in. Your mission is to show others the changed life that Christ has given you. Trust in Christ to strengthen you to do the right works. Mistakes will be made along the way. Apologize and move on; you are forgiven! Know something that your brother in Christ did that wasn't very Christ-like? Forgive him and move on; he will do the same for you. Does the Devil bring up that thing from your past to make you feel the burn of shame? Forgive yourself and move on! Look to Christ, your sin was paid for on the cross and you are forgiven! Now go live life in Christ!

Bucky

A Whole Bunch of Confusing News

Good morning! We should be due for an article in the media about how much the heat wave is helping or hurting the economy. Tropical Storm Debby failed to come west as predicted, choosing instead to dump the ocean on top of Florida. A foot of rain might be enough to help out with the fires in the Rocky Mountain west, though not all at once of course. A foot of rain is a bit short of half what some Florida locations got in a day from the big storm. We received some rain yesterday, but had to watch closely and be paying attention to see it. August is generally the time when we become 'the brown lands' but this year June is well-browned. The wheat harvest should be complete by Independence Day, an unusual year already and getting stranger by the day. And, we wonder how hot July may be, our hottest month on average each year. June saw many new heat records set including our all-time high - on two consecutive days. The High Park fire lost its place in the news to the Waldo Canyon fire in the same state. Our Air Force Academy is threatened; maybe their mates in the big planes can bomb the fire out. The High Park fire grew up into the square-mile range as the acres-burned total became too unwieldy to report. But, gas prices are down and continue to get better. The economic news has been pushed out by the fires and torrential rains, and we haven't had to hear about celebrities and their excesses for a while. Praise the Lord for that.

One heat record exceeded in June was at 104° set in 1954, the all-time record low for June is 28° set just three days before that other reading. That should remind us of how quickly our weather can change out here. We are not in charge of all this weather and news, but we can come to the Lord in prayer, and not only for rain or moderate temperatures. What the evil powers of the world may rule, God can overrule. We feel the drought, but God may have rain clouds just over the horizon. Heat and drought can go into the history books as quickly as they arrived. We may have a record-breaking winter of snows and cold. No, I don't expect things in the weather to turn around that quickly either, but I'm not in charge.

Oops, the paws are twitching; must be a really good dream. Maybe this heat wave is just a bad dream and we can get on with our normal June weather.

Bucky

Suffering The Heat

Okay, so we have a little heat wave going. All-time record high temperatures, daily records falling, just a little heat wave. Yes, so maybe the global warming folks have some more ammunition. We still don't know that human activity is causing it, but we can admit that it has been hot the past few days. What is all of this suffering about? Does the heat we feel and try to avoid have a purpose? One of the most cruel things God could do would be to establish the Law, and then just leave us alone. No corrections, no penalties save those that man carries out in his imperfect ways, just a wandering path from birth to death seeking some sort of religion to get us to heaven. After striving to behave well for a while, most folks would figure out that they could pretty much do whatever they wanted. In a worse situation would be those who achieve some success in their own abilities and activities. Without guilt or shame, none could see the need for salvation. We would be lost sheep without anything to tell us of our need for a shepherd.

We think that someone borrowed a little weather from Hell, but that is hardly the case. Hell is far more serious than a little hot weather. We should not trivialize the conditions we know of Hell. The eternal place of burning and pain cannot be hinted at with a few hot days on earth. We have hope here, a great hope in the person of Jesus Christ. Hell on Earth? Don't even think it. Wherever a living person speaks of suffering hell on earth, there is life and hope available to that person. The weather here may be unpleasant, but we can praise God and give Him the glory. "But, but, my toes are cooking in my shoes, and don't ask about other parts!" Yes, we are all seeking air-conditioned buildings, fans, and cold drinks. No one said it would be easy to praise God for the hot days. However, at least we have something to suffer to remind us of our need for Jesus and His grace. Even the worldly and lost folks have some assurance that autumn will arrive on time and change the weather. We who know personally our great hope have so much more to sing and speak praises of God and His marvelous grace and mercy.

Praise God for the day!
Bucky

It Takes The Starch Out

Good muggy morning! As though you needed a reminder of the weather conditions lately! Hot, hot, hot for the last three days and more hot to come. Weather like this can take the starch right out of your shirt. I could attempt to confirm that, but I haven't worn any starch in a shirt for years. What is needed to take the starch out of you and me? Perhaps you did not realize that starch, other than the dietary kind, was a part of your person? We may have areas of our lives were there is a little too much starch. You may be stiff in your knowledge of financial matters and not allow Jesus to bend you a little. I may be stiff in a different area and God sends a bit of tough weather to take the starch out of me. Any tribulation in our lives might be God trying to work out the stiffness, to bend us to His will in some matter. Just as certain weather conditions take the starch out of a shirt, the tribulations of the Christian take the stiffness out of his life.

Pride in an area of life imparts a stiffness much as starch does to a cotton shirt. A shirt can become so stiff with starch and ironing that the wearer walks around obviously uncomfortable. We can get uncomfortable in our lives when too much prideful stiffness sets in. God sees this stiffness, but we cannot always tell what is going on until the bending and cracking of a tribulation brings the stiffness to light. God may use the circumstances of a trial to move us one way or another. Only later do we see that first painful event of the tribulation was the cracking of our stubborn shell. We read in the Bible of God exchanging hearts of stone for hearts of flesh, but do we tend to think that this transition will be painless? If we build up a stony shell of pride on our hearts that were purchased by the blood of the Lamb, we may well find out that the cracking of that stony shell is painful. God will change our hearts to look like that of His Son. What seems painful now, may be seen to us as a wonderful expression of God's love one day.

I could use a bit less starch on my heart. Lead me gently, Lord Jesus, but please do not hesitate to crack my stony shell!

Bucky

If Now Is Not The Time, When Is?

Good Friday morning! The time of the year has come to dress for the wind and roast in the sun. Yes, in the early morning, a jacket may well be required for the cool breeze, but step out of the wind and into the sunlight and the heat rises quickly. We may face record heat again this weekend, and we do seem to be stuck in a pattern of that lately. What we need in one circumstance, is an unbearable burden in another. The jacket is necessary in the breeze and shade, and almost dangerous in the sun and calm. A few steps separate these two circumstances this morning. In life, we may be in one set of conditions and lamenting our plight before God. Yet, a few steps away, perhaps as soon as tomorrow or the next day what we think we need to overcome the condition of today could become a terrible burden. When God does not give us something, it may be that He is looking ahead to that circumstance just out of our sight. This time may not be the time for what we are asking for, but tomorrow may be the perfect time. Today may seem the perfect time for what we request of God, but tomorrow that very thing may be nothing but a dead weight holding us back.

Trusting in God becomes much more difficult when we think that we know exactly what we need and when we need it. A person smart in his own eyes does not want to wait on God. A person full of her own wisdom does not want to hear God's instruction. We are all hopeless cases if we rely only on our own strength and knowledge. As I have heard before, God's time will come at His appointed time. We go through life step by step, learning to trust in God every step in each day. Tomorrow will come when it comes. We can sit down in prayer and ask God to bless our plans, but we cannot see the next day as God does. Today, we trust in God and step out in faith. Tomorrow, we will do the same, but the circumstances may be entirely different.

Enjoy the day in Christ,
Bucky

A Little Jesus With Your Coffee?

A drive through town at 0630 or so will convince most anyone that summer is here. Many people out on foot, bicycle, or in vehicles moving around and exercising at that early hour. Winter weather gives us more than one excuse to avoid getting out; summer mornings give us incentive to be out early doing things we enjoy. Good news for all of you praying and working on this little project of mine, the contract for the sale of the house was signed yesterday. I'm celebrating with a banana nut muffin this morning. 4 weeks from yesterday, I'll be moving on to a new home. I do not know where yet, so I cannot give you the details. As the closing of the sale draws closer, I'm sure that a little um, caution, shall we say, may set into my brain. Moving to a new place can be a bit anxious and exciting. Inspections to get out of one house, more inspections before moving into another. Repairs that must be completed or credited in the closing, and many other concerns to address in the process. And we cannot forget all of those heavy boxes and furniture to be moved. Oy! How does one start each day during a time of upheaval? Should I get right to work on something, or should I be quiet first and have a little Jesus with my coffee?

I think that I have tried too much of the first, and not enough of the second. The task list may be long in any endeavor, but we do ourselves no favors by forgetting prayer and devotion with Jesus before we begin. Seek your savior and Lord, ask for strength and patience to endure, and learn from him how to do everything in love. The negotiations and requirements of not just one house sale, but a purchase, lease, or rental on the other side, can wear down our love for others. I have been watched over carefully by the Lord in this time. The house listing posted just 3 weeks ago today and we are under contract already. Not every house sale goes so quickly, and during this Great Recession some have not sold at all. Praise God for your prayers and His answer.

Have a happy day!
Bucky

So You Think You Are Lost

Good morning and enjoying the coolness! A tribulation has come to your life. Like Job, you sit in ashes in your only remaining sackcloth with friends telling you to confess something you didn't do and a wife encouraging you to curse God and die. The job at the office has you down and you long ago lost count of the 'stabs to the back' from your coworkers. Somewhere along the line the Shepherd must have lost track of you. There is no way a loving God could allow all this to happen, you say as something else goes wrong for you. Jesus obviously lost one sheep, and your life must be the one that He lost. You turn to a worldly counselor and after listening to your life's story, he can only say, "Wow, that's messed up!" We all at one time or another think that God or His Son or perhaps both have lost track of us. Ours is the one life that has gone off the rails so far that even the Almighty God cannot bring it back.

When Job says, "Woe is me." You argue the point and claim the position. When Paul calls himself the chiefest and worst of sinners, you are there to elbow him aside. Nothing went right in your life from day one and why should tomorrow be any different. Then someone comes along to point out that 1.5 million children in Africa may starve to death, and you are not starving. Another article points out that millions remain in slavery though we long ago thought that abolished forever, and you live in a free country. Finances got you down? Someone else has lost more, been deeper in debt, gone bankrupt more times, or failed more businesses than you. We can always find a 'worse than' story. I like to collect them to go with my experiences. Those stories remind me that always God has been very carefully and masterfully in control of my development through tribulations.

We tend to look at ourselves wrong. Imagine Jesus bent over a plate of diamonds on a jeweler's table. Every diamond is carefully weighed, cut, smoothed, filed, categorized, and accounted for at all times. It is true that many of the diamonds are still in their rough shape. Some so rough that they do not yet look much like a diamond and only the creator of the diamonds can possibly know that a diamond is in that lump of hard material. Your analysis of your own state may agree with the Master at this point, but that is no reason to leave the table. If one diamond slips or hops off the table, Jesus stops everything to go bring that diamond back. He knows where all of His other diamonds are, and He will not lose even one. In you and in me, the Master will bring out the diamond He created.

Yes, that Christian diamond you see at the church on Sunday may seem to get less polishing than you and yet appears to gleam all the brighter. Yes, that other one over there never seems to endure a tribulation in his life. Maybe in this one thing you are correct, and you are the roughest, dirtiest, most hidden gem of the whole lot. It could be that even the Apostle Paul didn't need as much work as you do to become a beautifully cut diamond for Christ. Praise God and be joyful, no matter what your condition, Christ will do whatever it takes to make you into what He would have you to be. If you are in rougher shape than another Christ-one, then you will get more of the loving attention of the Master. Perhaps way down deep under that rough material is a core of diamond strength that Jesus is working hard to bring out to show the world. Your light may be hidden for now, your diamond may not seem as large as that evangelist on television, but when you are unveiled at last in your cut and polished state after all those terrible tribulations, Jesus will show us all a very bright, beautiful, and strong gem.

Bucky