Category: Thursday Thought

Emma’s face reddened with embarrassment.

In a large group setting, the five-year-old blurted out a response to a question that was merely rhetorical. Emotion took a few minutes to kick in, but then hot tears drizzled down Emma’s cherubic face.

I hugged, kissed, patted, and assured her there was nothing to worry about, nothing to be ashamed of. She quieted some, and Emma brightened at my invitation to play a game of Uno.

Important note: when you play Uno with a five-year-old, their little hands can’t hold all the cards. So, Emma and her sister Ava spread the cards out on the table. Even so, Emma almost always wins against us adults. She is that tough a player!

However, I was a bit confused when allowed to nick me with a “Draw Two” or “Draw Four” card—Emma chose a harmless alternative. I pointed this out to her, but she would not budge. Another chance came for Emma to zap me, and again she declined.

As she cuddled against me, I sensed that Emma just might be so grateful for an earlier gift of mercy, she would not be deterred from returning the kindness the only way she knew. Mercy felt that good.

It always does.

Like its cousin, forgiveness, mercy is the gift that everybody wants—but few give. It’s the Band-Aid craved by every bleeding soul.

How much does a hug cost? How pricey is a pat on the back? Would it bankrupt us to offer a word of encouragement? In the economy of Christ, mercy is the gold, and those who have given the most are the only truly wealthy ones.

Who needs your mercy?

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

—Jesus, Matthew 5:7

Our pergola’s beautiful new steel roof looks fantastic, and it’s so much cooler sitting outside now. But we scarcely had time to enjoy our now-shady space when I looked up to find a hole in one of the boards I didn’t recall drilling.

I chose to ignore it, hoping it was just my imagination. Except the next day, there was no imagining the bits of sawdust raining down on the covers of our outdoor furniture.

You guessed it—we had ourselves an infestation of carpenter bees. And did I mention that their toilet tank empties directly onto our deck chairs when they go to the bathroom? Rude!

Time to call an expert—which we did. He gave us the complete buzz on those bees. Told us how the bees drill into the wood just a little—then bore a 90-degree hole and set up a home for their growing family. They can quickly eat through enough lumber to damage or destroy most structures. Including my deck.

If you go online, you won’t lack ideas on how to treat carpenter bees. One person recommended spraying the holes with citrus spray. Or vinegar (yeah, that’s basically like fruit spray, right?) You can plug the holes with caulk. Or wood putty. Or—wait—the bees sometimes eat their way through that. So, try wadded-up tin foil. Or steel wool.

Me? I didn’t want to “try” anything. I wanted those bees gone. Immediately! That’s why we brought in an expert.

Those “little holes” in the wood remind me of the “little sins” you and I allow into our lives. Small as they are starting out, they can lead to the eating away of our souls to the point of complete spiritual destruction.

We need an expert exterminator, you and me, and thankfully we have one. In Proverbs 28:13, God warns,

Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.

Colossians 3:5 urges,

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

Those bees of mine are now dead. But what about my sins—and yours? Any chance you might need an appointment with the Exterminator? Don’t wait!

The landscaping is as manicured as any garden at Kensington Palace. Inside, the walls are adorned with soothing art. A sunroom lined with rocking chairs beckons us to pause and unwind. But we are not here to relax. We are here to say goodbye.

As we inch down the halls, I struggle to harmonize the solitude I see with my eyes and the storm I feel in my gut. We are here to visit my brother and his dying wife. She has courageously fought three types of cancer over three decades, and her journey now takes her to a hospice center.

Here, the staff is pleasant, the carpeting is pleasant, the lighting is pleasant—but the visit is not. Even for believers committed to the resurrection, we cannot wallpaper over the sadness of death. And for a moment, the cynic in me asks if all this pleasantness is pointless.

Two realities then thump my soul. First, the beauty and serenity of this place are as much for the living as for the dying. Hospice care represents the last of the long goodbyes. Why shouldn’t the surroundings be as beautiful and comfortable as possible?

The second reality: we’re all terminal. I’m terminal. You’re terminal. Because of sin, every person you will ever meet is terminal.

The young dudes at your health club—the ones that eat clean and drink all the right juice extracts—they are terminal. The people you game with online, the barista who makes your coffee, the office lady in the adjacent cubicle, and the neighbors next door all have an eternal soul. And they are all terminal.

When someone we care about is in hospice, we go to great lengths to call, visit, and encourage them before they pass away. But dare we show any less concern for our “healthy” friends and neighbors who are without Jesus—and (ultimately) terminal?

If we know Jesus—and they don’t—how can we be comfortable not sharing something of Christ? A kind act, an offer to pray, an invitation to your church or outreach event—it’s time to make a statement for Jesus. Because—we’re all terminal.

“…Each person is destined to die once, and after that comes judgment,”

–Hebrews 9:27

Photo by Bret Kavanaugh on Unsplash

It’s a teenager’s worst nightmare: waking up with a giant red pimple in the middle of their forehead. In the world of dermatology, it’s just a blemish, but to a teen, it’s life and death.

But for followers of Christ, there’s a much worse blemish: an attitude of grumbling.

My wife, Diana, has observed that I can easily whine—which is Grumble’s twin. Diana’s right (she usually is!). So, I’ve had to confess this sin.

For some of us, grumbling is a visit. For others, it’s a destination. And some of us don’t appear happy—unless we’re grumbling. But if you and I are going to shine as lights in the world, we must ruthlessly eliminate the spirit of grumbling.

Philippians 2:15 reminds us we live amid “a crooked and twisted generation.” That’s the dark truth. Yet the verse also shares the bright hope: that Christians would be “blameless and innocent children of God without blemish…in a generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world.”

The path to victory? Verse 14 says, “Do all things without grumbling or questioning.”

• Grumbling is a blemish on the face of our faith.
• Grumbling is what the crooked and twisted do.
• Grumbling makes us less like God and more like the world.
• Grumbling dims our gospel light!

It’s time to confess our grumbling—all of it: the silent grumbles no one hears, the mumbled grumbles we secretly wish they would hear, and the noisy grumbles we voice to our friends and family.

There are no grumblers in heaven.

Why should we be grumblers on earth?

‘nough said.

What if the only people allowed to sing worship songs this Sunday were those who had worshipped God by sharing the gospel with someone? What if the only worship leaders who could stand up on stage this weekend were those who’d offered a verbal witness for Christ within the last twelve months?

How loud would the music be in our churches? I suspect “not very.”

Has any generation in the history of Christianity had more worship songs than ours? We love inspiring worship music (I do!). But is it possible we love to sing more than to obey?

Many believers use the words worship and music interchangeably, as if worship equals music. In fact, we can’t imagine worship without music. But God sees worship as much larger than that. His definition centers on the concept of obedience.

In John 14:15, Jesus said, “If you love me, you will obey what I command.” And what was the very last command He left us with? “Go into all the world and preach the gospel” (Mark 16:15).

Sharing Jesus verbally is not optional. Jesus didn’t say we could opt out if we are introverts or skip this part if it makes us nervous. The only question is, are we obeying?

In Matthew 15:8, Jesus said of the Pharisees, ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” Could that also describe us?

We sing all those great worship songs with our lips. But if we don’t honestly care about lost people or regularly share Christ verbally, our hearts are far from Him!

He came to seek and to save the lost!

He transferred that assignment to us (though only Christ can ultimately save). 

Is that our passion?

Someday soon, Jesus is coming back. What will He find then—great bands doing worship music—or great bands of worshippers sharing the gospel, who then sing about it on Sundays?

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

It may not be the rodeo capital of the world, but Shipshewana, Indiana, hosted an action-packed, cow-punchin’ event I’ll always remember.

The pros there made it look easy, but trying to lasso a calf in just three tries (while being stop-watched) is no easy task. Once lassoed, the real fun began. The cowboys had to tie up the calf’s legs and “brand” it with white paint.

But not one of those calves had the slightest interest in being tied up, so they raised plenty of dust. We saw one team lasso their calf almost immediately. In just a few more seconds, they had the hooves all tied up.

But no sooner had the cowboys wrapped up the legs of that calf—victory at hand—when the thing burst free of the ropes and raced around the arena, mocking the cowboys (now on the ground) while delighting the crowd. In one swift kick, that poor team went from most points to no points.

Those dusty, disappointing failures reminded me of a few of my own. That unraveled rodeo moment pictures our battle with besetting sin. Like a good cowboy or cowgirl, we’ve prepped to fight it. We’re prayed up, read up, and fired up.

We’re sure we’ve kicked that bad habit or got that annoying temptation tied up. And then—boom! We’re knocked into the dirt, sitting on our spiritual rear-ends.

Aren’t you glad God doesn’t keep score with a stopwatch? Aren’t you grateful we’re not disqualified because we’ve messed up two—or even twenty-two times?

In the rodeo of life, the thing that matters most is the presence of God—and the gift of His grace. So, by all means, let’s keep up our struggle against sin. But when we fail, let’s climb out of the dust and into God’s grace. Because there’s always grace for cowboys–like us.

He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time.  -2 Timothy 1:9

Passports are serious business.

If you’re traveling internationally, you better have one. And it better be valid.

I once flew with a group to Ghana, West Africa. Upon arrival, one team member couldn’t get in! They told him his passport was invalid because it was less than six months from expiring. The guy flew thousands of miles only to be turned around and sent back on the next flight to America.

Passports are serious business. Above all, they vouch for our citizenship. They speak to the rights and protection offered by our home country. But believers have a different passport. We read in Philippians 3:20,

“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Catch that? Our citizenship is in heaven. Not here. Not now. Not on this broken planet where they scarcely recognize a heavenly passport.

We await a Savior, Jesus Christ, who will completely transform our lowly bodies. Which means we’re not waiting for gloom, doom, and death.

It’s not that we won’t hurt, bleed, or die. But we have something better to look forward to afterward. Perfection, beauty, peace, grace, Christ—that’s our future. What a Savior we have! What a future is ours!

Next time you’re tempted to go AWOL into a dark emotional corner, reach for your heavenly passport—-and pray this:

Thank you, Lord!

• My citizenship is in heaven!
• My home is there.
• My rights are there.
• My life is there.
• My hope is there.
• My affection is there.
• My rewards are there.

And best of all—my Savior is there!

Lord, let my life be consumed by heaven:

• Its vastness…
• Its eternity…
• Its people…

Let me be driven by heaven in my thinking, speaking, and doing. And let heaven be the fuel and force of my love for lost people.

Amen!

“Are you mean?”

It’s not a question I was expecting from Emma. At five, she is what my wife calls the ultimate “snuggle buddy.” And we’d done plenty of that the night before as Emma fell asleep on my shoulder. 

 So, how should I answer her?  Since children see right through us, I figured I’d keep it simple, straightforward—and brutally honest. Like kids. 

 “Sometimes, we’re all mean,” I offered. “Sometimes you get angry and say things that are not nice. Sometimes I say or do something not nice. That’s why we have to say ‘I’m sorry.’ And that’s why we have to have Jesus living with us. When we have Jesus, we do less mean things.” 

 She then asked, “Do robbers say I’m sorry?”

 “Some probably do, and some don’t,” I replied, wondering where is the class that teaches the answers to questions like these.  

 She nodded, and mercifully let the subject go. But Emma’s question haunted me all week: Am I mean? 

 When the city parking official on the phone showed little concern for my dollar that was stolen by a malfunctioning machine, I was less than cordial. Then I heard Emma asking, “Are you mean?” I ended up calling the official back to apologize. 

 For the believer, the question is not just Are you mean? The ultimate issue is—Are you becoming less mean?

 Is there measurable, forward progress in your character? Is the direction of your life toward less meanness?

 There’s no use trying to PhotoShop your character. It is what it is. And the people who really know you—really know. 

 So—are you mean? Are you becoming less mean? Just wonderin’. 

 

 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

– 1 Thessalonians 5:23

A digital photo frame—for only $4? It seemed like the garage sale deal of the century. And the frame came with a story.

On top of the box was a Christmas card affixed with a Santa gift tag. The card was addressed to Linda, who (according to the card) had recently lost her mother. The hope was that Linda would fill that frame with photos of her mom—to fill up her soul with good memories.

It never happened.

The photo frame was not just in the original box. It was still covered in shrink wrap. But seven years after it lingered under a Christmas tree, its pixels glowed for the first time: images of our grandkids.

Selfishly, I’m thrilled to have that digital frame in our family room. But a part of me is sad for Linda. Sorry that she never once benefited from it.

Maybe Linda’s age made her uncomfortable with technology. Or, more likely, she just never got around to it. But is it possible you and I have done the same—on a much grander scale?

When, at last, the record books are opened, and we stand in the great company of the saints in glory, how many unused gifts will we be made aware of? How many moments for kingdom impact will we learn that we squandered? How many gifts of grace or peace or love will we discover that we never took advantage of? Gifts we could have given to others. Gifts we could have used ourselves!

Why waste them?

Let’s plug in now!

Who needs a gift that you could give?

So then, be careful how you walk, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of your time because the days are evil. —Ephesians 5:15,16

When was the last time you got hammered by Scripture?

In Philippians 2:20, Paul says this about his spiritual protege, Timothy: “I have no one like him.”

What made Timothy so unique? Was he a great preacher, a great scholar, or maybe a great evangelist?

Paul’s answer: “For I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare.” Timothy’s focus was outward, others oriented. And that’s what made him so valuable. Turns out, in every age, the genuinely concerned have always been in short supply.

Comedian Milton Berle once quipped, “An egoist is someone who is me-deep in conversation.” Is that me? Is that you?

Of course, this inevitably led to (an uncomfortable) spiritual inventory.  Am I genuinely concerned for the welfare of others? Or is what I offer them merely a fakey concern—or worse—the kind that I activate only when I sense others might be watching me “graciously serving others”?

The genuinely concerned have always been in short supply.

Wouldn’t you love for God to say of you, “For I have no one like her…no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare.”

In the end, there is no middle ground. Despite the layers of varnish or veneer we attempt to apply, fundamentally, you and I will either be genuinely concerned for others or genuinely concerned for ourselves.

In verse three, Paul describes the simple path toward otherness: “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility consider one another as more important than yourselves.”

Our culture does not lack self-centered folks or folks who are only partly concerned for others.

Want to stand out in this world? Be fully invested in the concerns of others.

Do not merely look out for your own personal interests but also for the interests of others. —Phil 2:4