Not Just Paper.

“Abraham named the place Yahweh Yireh (which means ‘the Lord will provide’). To this day, people still use that name as a proverb: ‘on the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.” [Gen. 22:14 (NLT)]

Now I’m not sure if I’ve ever heard that phrase before, but in the New King James Version it says “In the Mount of the LORD it shall be provided,” which I’ve probably heard in a hymn or something. Even so, there many Bible passages that we still quote today. Some of my favorites are: John 3:16-17, 1 Cor. 13:13, and 1 Cor. 15:10 (my life verse). I use these because to me, they have a lot of weight. It’s kind of like the dollar compared to a piece of paper. I use paper. I like paper. But if I lose a piece of paper, I am typically indifferent unless it has some valuable writing on it. Now if I lose a dollar bill, I care a little more. The higher the little number in the corner, the more I am likely to care.

You see the why we care more about the dollar (even though it is also just a piece of paper) is because it is backed by the treasury, and it is worth something to us. Not only do we like having that paper, but also we NEED it in order to have anything in this country.

So how do make God’s word, which to some is just writing a many sheets of paper, like the dollar to us? As a matter of fact, it needs to be worth more! We should not only enjoy the Word of God, we should have a NEED for it. We should know that no amount of riches could exceed the joy that comes with living by God’s word!

With the dollar, we have tangible evidence of its value. We can buy stuff with it. A lot of people think God’s word is invaluable, and that any power behind it is imaginative. Is there tangible evidence when it comes to the value of God’s word? Yes, more so than money. How? Just look at its source.

Just before Abraham named the place “Yahweh Yireh”, he had been spared the burden of sacrificing his son to God. He had been tried and proved faithful, he had his son, God’s blessing, and a great lesson in how the Lord provides. This is just one of his many stories.

“Jesus, I’m not sure if you’re real or not but… I’ve never given my heart to anything before, and I want to give it to you now.” This was the prayer I prayed in my church basement, it was that pivotal moment in which my heart was taken captive by the Spirit and I gave my heart to God. This is one of my many stories, and to me it is worth more than any amount of money. THAT IS THE WORTH OF THE WORD! THAT IS WHAT WE EXCHANGE IT FOR! Salvation.

God’s word, like our money, comes from a source, which is him, is backed by something valuable, which is him, and is exchangeable for something valuable, which is him in our lives, our salvation! How does it outweigh money? Simple! Just look at the ratio of happy millionaires as compared to happy Christians, millionaires pale in comparison. Money can be taken away before your very eyes in an instant and leave you without it. The only way to lose god is to walk away, and you can’t just “have a little of” God, you have all or none. God is backed with an eternal warrantee!

When people see money they don’t see paper, they see something of value that they both want and need. When I see the Bible, I don’t see paper, I see the word of God that I need and would be lost without, like I was before I prayed that prayer.

So let’s not treat His word like paper, but like riches. Let’s use it in exchange for salvation. Let’s frequently visit the source, which is God, in order to have our fill. And let’s share His word with the spiritually poor, and show them to value the Bible paper more, and the green paper less.

Dying Heart?

Mortality.

Consider the word. By definition, it means “the state or condition of being subject to death; mortal character, nature, or existence.” Humans are mortals; we die. There are also things out there that can speed up the process of life. Things like: earthquakes hurricanes, car accidents, war, drugs, and suicide. Life is so fragile and just about anything can take it away. So very little in this world is in our control. We can make choices, take precaution, but it can all be swept away from us. Nobody is safe from the unexpected. Most of us realize this, and accept it as a fact of nature.

I, as an individual, can accept this. I know that I am currently safe from harm, and should the unfortunate happen, God has a home waiting for me. I fear not for my health, nor my mind, strength, soul, or any part belonging to me. But what about my heart?

Whenever one of my friends, or family, or -generally speaking- someone I love gets closer to the lines of mortality so does a piece of my heart. When they poison themselves with drugs or alcohol, a piece of my heart is getting poisoned. When they let the world overwhelm and feel like they have to cut themselves, a piece of my heart bleeds too. When they let themselves be abused in any way, shape, or form, then a piece of my heart takes that blow with them.

I know I’m not the only one that feels like this. I’m sure everybody who has someone they love in the hospital, at war, or at risk from their own behaviors has a piece of their heart hurting for them. And it hurts badly. It hurts badly because it’s not something we can control. As much as we’d like to we cannot simply take their suffering from them, and replace it with wholeness, safety, and the embrace of God.

Imagine how Abraham felt when his only son, Isaac, who surely had a big piece of his father’s heart, was whom God told him to kill as a sacrifice to him. I am not a parent. But I can see that the love between a parent and their child can be one of the greatest of all. I could not see myself having to kill my own child to prove my love to the Lord. A child surely takes up a huge piece of their parent’s heart. So having to kill that piece seems too hard to try to live without. Yet Abraham did as he was told.

“And Abraham picked up the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice. At that moment the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven,

‘Abraham! Abraham!’

‘Yes,’ Abraham replied. ‘Here I am!’

‘Don’t lay a hand on that boy!’ the angel said. ‘Don’t hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son.’” [Gen. 22: 10-12 (NLT)]

Did you honestly think God would hurt something so precious to his chosen one? God was testing him, but not torturing him. Sometimes we feel tortured by the circumstances in our lives and what people put us through. But what so many of us fail to realize is that GOD IS THERE TO HELP US AND THE ONES WE LOVE. We cannot WITHOLD them from him. Now I’m not saying sacrifice your loved ones. Do the thing that replaced sacrifices in the New Testament, PRAY!

Jesus and Generousity.

“About this time, Abimelech came with Phicol, his army commander, to visit Abraham. ‘God is obviously with you, helping you in everything you do,’ Abimelech said. ‘Swear to me in God’s name that you will never deceive me, my children, or any of my descendants. I have been loyal to you, so now swear now that you will be loyal to me and to this country where you are living as a foreigner.’

Abraham replied, ‘Yes, I swear to it!’” [Gen. 21:22-24 (NLT)]

Now think about everything that Abimelech was asking of Abraham. It was certainly no small favor! It was an ETERNAL VOW OF LOYALTY, to both him and his descendants. What is an eternal promise? It is a promise that you keep FOREVER and NO MATTER WHAT. What is more amazing? Abraham hears this and says, “Yes!” without hesitation! I don’t know about you but giving ANYONE an eternal vow is pretty generous to me!

Now just to follow that example takes a lot doesn’t it? But I challenge you to take it a step further than that. I know said this before, and I will say it until my mouth can no longer form the syllables (then I’ll just mumble it): IN ORDER TO FOLLOW JESUS, WE NEED TO BE LIKE JESUS!!! We need to be pure like Jesus was. We need to love like Jesus did. And we need to be GENEROUS, as he was generous.

As far as giving the way Jesus does, it is impossible. No matter who we are, we cannot give anyone salvation, I don’t care if you are the pope. It is impossible. A popular piece of scripture says, “ask and you shall receive”. Jesus can give us anything; we can only give so much. It is a lot easier to be like Abraham.

“Why are you asking me to do the impossible?”

I’m not; I did not challenge you to be Jesus, just to be like him. So why did I bring up that Abraham is easier? Pay attention.

“If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that.” [Mat. 5:47 (NLT)]

Notice hoe Abimelech told Abraham, “I have always been loyal to you”. So they were friends. Christians, we NEED to take it a step further than this. Jesus KNOWS that you and I have not always been loyal to him, but does he still love us? More than we know. No matter who you are or what you’ve done, HIS LOVE IS AT YOUR DISPOSAL! ASK AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE! His love for you isn’t based on anything you do; it’s just there.

This is how you must be; I know it’s hard. But it’s nothing compared to the cross. LIVE LIKE JESUS! GIVE LIKE JESUS!

Eyes Open To Arms Open.

Starting at Genesis 21:8 we read about some trouble going on in the house of Abraham. It starts of when Sarah (Abraham’s wife) notices Ishmael (Abraham’s first son) and Hagar (Ishmael’s mother) making fun of Isaac (the son of Abraham and Sarah). Sarah becomes very angry and demands that both Ishmael and Hagar be sent away. Abraham is at first very upset by this, but God tells him to go through with it and that everything will be all right. So Abraham gives Hagar some food and a container of water and sends them off.

“When the water was gone, she put the boy in the shade of a bush. Then she went and sat down by herself about a hundred yards away. ‘I don’t want to watch the boy die,’ she said, as she burst into tears.” [Gen. 21:15-16 (NLT)]

Thousands people, if not millions, know how this feels. For some parents, it is this exact situation. Too many parents had to watch their children waste away. Then again for some, it is their dreams that they had to watch waste to nothing. Or perhaps it was money. Whatever the case, broken dreams are a part of reality. I’m certain at least three quarters of all people who read this can remember a time they had no hope. And the only thing they felt they could do was just take the dream, let it die, and start the mourning process early.

“But God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called Hagar from heaven, ‘Hagar, what’s wrong? Do not be afraid! God had heard the boy crying as he lies there. Go to him and comfort him, for I will make a great nation from his descendants.’

Then God opened Hagar’s eyes, and she saw a well full of water. She quickly filled her water container and gave the boy a drink.” [Gen. 21: 17-19 (NLT)]

Recently, I got new eyeglasses. I had been walking around for months squinting to see everything better. I truly think the bats felt sorry for me. So when I first put on my glasses, it was a shock! I could see things! And it seems all I did for the next few days was look around. I would go through my routine noticing thing I hadn’t before. And I loved it! Good sight makes life so much easier.

In comparison to God, all humans are pretty near sighted. Like me before I got glasses, we don’t always pick up on things right in front of us. And we often find ourselves squinting and looking around for options. Sometimes we are so blind spiritually that we can’t read the HUGE signs that say “Hey you! God has the answer for this!” And so we ignore them, and try to get through life by our own strength. As Hagar, and the three quarters of you reading this can testify, it doesn’t always work out too well.

Luckily, God had something for you sight hat works better than any pair of glasses or contacts could ever dream of! God can OPEN YOUR EYES TO HIS OPEN ARMS! You see God has REALLY GOOD vision, and can see every thing. He crafted you and knows every thing you can do. If you ask God to show you the Way, you’ll never have to squint! No matter how dreary it looked before. And the life that used to be too hard to do anything with will be easy. For you can more then you used to, and you can see God is there.

So to the three quarters of you, don’t squint any more. Let God open your eyes, and see life how you were meant to see it. With HOPE.

A Laughing Matter

“The Lord kept his word and did for Sarah exactly as he had promised. She became pregnant, and she gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age. This happened at just the time God said it would. And Abraham named their son Isaac.”

[Gen. 21:1-3 (NLT)]

I can’t explain it, but whenever God answers my prayers, I feel sincerely happy, but kind of silly at the same time. I think of how hard life is before I FINALLY convince myself I should pray about it, then he answers my prayer and I think “of course, silly, THAT’S WHAT GOD DOES!”

“And Sarah declared, ‘God has brought me laughter. All who hear about this will laugh with me. Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse a baby? Yet I have given Abraham a son in his old age!” [Gen. 21:6-7 (NLT)]

It reminds me of the time my parents were forcing me to go to church, I was then an atheist and found religion to be more of an “evil in disguise” than anything else. But they wouldn’t hear of it, I simply had no choice, I was going to church. I was absolutely APPALLED that parents would force religion on to their children. I was appalled that my parents were making me “bow down” to their “fake god” just because they did. So I simply looked at my stepmother hatefully and said, “Do you have any idea what this is going to do to me?”

The truth is, neither of us had ANY idea what it would do to me. And I am SO grateful for all that it did FOR (and not to) me. I used to be a cynical, miserable atheist who lived life feeling like a LOSER. Today, I am the complete opposite. Like Sarah’s laughing: I went from sarcasm to sincerity in a year.

You see, Christians, sometimes we forget (or never learn in the first place) exactly who God is. GOD IS NOT JUST A GOOD IDEA, HE IS NOT JUST THE BOSS MAN, HE NEVER HAS JUST GOOD INTENTION. God is THE REAL GOOD, and he backs every promise with follow through. And when he shows us that, it makes us want to laugh, sincerely! And it’s a great feeling!

Now here’s the challenge, FREEZE THAT FEELING. When God answers our prayers, we feel like the world is working for us. But there always comes a time when we feel like the world has chewed us up and spit us out. But just hold on to the feeling, the one that says God is watching over you, even when that is ALL you can hold on to. Because that feeling is SO MUCH MORE than all those other negative feelings combined.

In the sun shine,

God loves how your face glows.

But when the rain comes,

Just look at a rainbow.

Another challenge, notice how Sarah said, “All who hear about this will laugh with me.” What good is laughter when only you can hear it? You see there are plenty of people in this world who are not laughing. The kind of people who only smile just to make others think they’re happy. God can change that, and you can help. Christians, the light inside of you, the joy God puts in you, is too bright to keep for only yourself. Share it with others. Everybody has a story, and you never know how a story could impact somebody’s life. I mean, why do we read the Bible?

Hey Kids!

“Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants, so they could have children. For the Lord had caused all the women to be infertile because of what happened with Abraham’s wife, Sarah.”

[Gen. 20: 17-18 (NLT)]

According to at least the New Living Translation bible, the first time and word that has to do with “prayer” is in Gen 20:17. It was the first time anybody really asked God for a favor. Why so late? If you ask me, I’d say humanity wasn’t old enough to be able to speak to God in such a way. Back then, humanity was like an infant, and God carried it around, fulfilling its needs as they arose. With prayer, and God’s response to it, mankind then became what God would forever have it be, a walking, talking, young child.

If you are or were a parent of a young child, or if you’ve ever watched one. You’ll notice tat they are the most DEPENDENT walking things on the planet! Right through ages 2-6 a child will not try to find anything, cross a street, stay at home, cut up their food, pour a drink, or (most unfortunately) use a public bathroom without the help of an older person. They are always asking for stuff. And the majority of us, not being able to stand the sight of a little kid crossing the street alone or walk around with his/her shoes untied, fell obligated to help them.

God gave us this behavior, because paternal/maternal instinct comes from him, HE IS IT. We may not need God to tie our shoes for us, but can go through everyday without prayer? Are we “old enough” to be able to get everything we may want and need in this life ON OUR OWN? Can anybody be old enough?

“I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” [Luke 17:18 (NLT)]

Christians, we are all little children as far as God is concerned. It doesn’t matter if you are a preacher, teacher, or otherwise. Any good parent wouldn’t let their little one cross the street alone now matter how much their kid reassured them. They are simply too little to do it alone, the cars won’t see them; it’s not worth the risk.

Christians, even though this is hard to accept, you are TOO LITTLE to get by without God’s assistance in your life. If so you are like a little kid trying to cross the street alone. And those disasters in life that you can’t control are like the cars. THEY WON’T SEE YOU WHEN THEY HIT, and you’re bound to get hurt.

That is why we MUST PRAY, because there are things on the shelf of life that we are not big enough to get for ourselves. And we need to ask God to get it for us. And we have to trust in our Father to decide for us whether or not that thing will be a Band-Aid to help us heal, a healthy snack to keep us going in the right direction, or a cookie to spoil our appetites.

May the Lord’s guidance be with you all.

Now Think About This.

“Then Abimelch called for Abraham. ‘What have you done to us?’ he demanded. ‘What crime have I committed that deserves treatment like this, making me and my kingdom guilty of this great sin? No one should ever do what you have done! Whatever possessed you to do such a thing?”

Abraham replied, ‘ I thought,’ This is a godless place. They will want my wife and kill me to get her.” [Gen. 20: 9-11 (NLT)]

In my last writing, I told you the dangers of not being assertive. Today, I want to share with you the dangers of assumption.

How many times have you heard in a conversation, “He/she won’t EVER change”? Have you ever been to a church, school or workplace where someone has actually come up to you and told you every disgusting rumor about a specific person, and then told you not to go near that person because there was “something wrong” with him/her. Is there some one you know who you believe and/or has it often said about them that they will NEVER follow God! Take a minute and think of one right now. Keep that person in mind.

Abimelech turned out to not be such a godless man after all. Neither did Paul the Apostle, Mary Magdalene, or any of the HUNDREDS, if not thousands, of stories of the supposedly “godless” people giving their lives to Christ. I’m talking drug-dealers, killers, and gang leaders, the worst of the worst! Now think about your person.

Assuming that we know who will and will not ever reach out to God is one of the most IGNORANT things a Christian can do. Can you summarize a book that you’ve never seen nor read? Every high school student that ever flunked on a book report will confirm that you cannot. So how ignorant of us is it, Christians, when we have never seen or read the Book of Life (that has the names of every person that will get into heaven) to say, “I don’t know where this Book of Life is, but I certainly know who’s NOT going to be in it!” You do whenever you say someone will never change. ASSUMPTION IS CONDEMNATION. Now think about your person.

The pastor of my church once told me “The sick go the hospital to get better. The uneducated go to school to become educated. And they poor in spirit should come to church to be made new.” The hospital is not for the healthy to keep away from the sick. The school is not for the scholars to keep away from the uneducated. The church SHOULD NEVER be just for the “good Christians” to keep away from the lost. Now think about your person.

“God sent his son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.” [John. 3:17 (NLT)]

If the purest, most righteous man to ever walk the earth could not judge, or condemn, us, then who are we to say we can? Who are we to even SUGGEST that a person may or may not find God? I AM ASHAMED AND I AM TIRED of all these Christians and churches that exclude those who live outside of God’s way. Do you know the heart and mind of God? Now don’t just think about your person, PRAY FOR THEM.

May the Lord’s guidance be with you all,