Kingdom Hearts

A friend of mine recently told me a story about how he got through college. It took him a while to finish because he had to work and couldn’t take too many hours at a time. He has never met his mother, and his dad had been in and out of prison for years, so he was practically raised by his uncle. Ironically, this uncle is only 13 years older than my friend. And fortunately for him, this uncle is wealthy and was willing to loan him the money he needed for tuition and books, provided that he was willing to work and pay for his own living arrangements. The stipulation was that he had to do his part and work in order for his uncle to continue supporting him. This was especially convenient since his uncle told him he would charge no interest; this way he could take his time and not have to go through student loan companies that charge interest. After seven years of school (including 2 years of graduate school), he had accumulated a little over $30,000 debt that he owed his uncle. At the age of 25, he had his master’s degree now and was going to make enough money to pay it off fairly quickly.

He was very thankful and had planned to pay back everything. When he drew up a payment plan that would pay his uncle back in three years, he took the sheet to his uncle to see if the payment plan would work for him. As his uncle looked at it, he tore it up and told him how proud he was of him for getting his degree and that he wanted to forgive the debt completely. His uncle told him the reason he gave him the money under the façade of a “loan” was because he wanted him to work hard and appreciate his degree for the rest of his life. After spending an hour convincing him that he does not expect one penny in return, my friend was in utter shock; not knowing what to feel first, surprise, humility or gratitude. He told me the most amazing thing to him is that since this happened, 6 years ago, he and his uncle have gotten into several heated arguments and not one time has he ever brought up his generous deed. Although they continue to argue from time to time, as they are like brothers, the closeness they have shared from the time he was a little boy is second to none. He told me his gratitude toward his uncle forces him to honor and respect him dearly to the point that there is nothing he would not do for him too.

We too, have been given a form of forgiveness for which we are forever indebted. Jeremiah, in prophesying of the New Testament covenant made possible through Christ, stated, “For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more” (Jeremiah 31:34). The Hebrews writer also reminds us of this in Hebrews 8. Jesus, after living a sinless life, became our sin so that we would not have to die (2 Corinthians 5:20-21; Romans 6:23). His blood serves as our justification (Romans 5:8-9; Revelation 1:5). And so, this forgiveness that we obtain after contacting this blood (Acts 2:38; 22:16; Romans 6:1-4), allows us to be in a covenant relationship with Him. It is a debt that is completely erased, never having to be paid again.

For me, this speaks volumes to the gratitude I need to have, as well as for the motivation that this forgiveness hopefully provides me in wanting to do all I can to live for Jesus. I love Him dearly and feel the least I can do is give my life to Him. But I also think this challenges us in our relationships with one another. The Bible is replete with lessons about forgiving others. If we are committed to imitating Jesus (1 Corinthians 11:1) and portraying a Christ-like spirit in all that we do, then should we not be willing and able to forgive those who have wronged us? Remember, forgiveness means wiping the slate clean; to completely erase the debt in such a way so that it is never brought up again. In addition to expressing our gratitude for God’s forgiveness to us, let us also pray that He will help us to forgive those who need it. Does that seem too difficult? Remember, Jesus died for them too.

Have you ever stopped to think how your life might have turned out if you had made different decisions? What if you had married someone other than the person that you did marry, or what if you had studied and prepared yourself for a different type of occupation than what you are doing now? There are so many “ifs” in life that it is likely not profitable or wise to constantly think on these things because they are in the past. Likewise, it is equally unprofitable to make plans in life without including God. There is actually an exhortation in James 4:13-17 that deals with this very issue. We would do well to ponder upon it in light of our journey through this life:

Come now, you who say, ‘today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’ — yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, ‘if the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.’ As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

James’ message here is quite profound and applicable. What good is our life without God? The problem was that there were those making plans without including God. Somehow they had forgotten that it is God who is in control of all things, including what they might be able to do or not do in the future. There were many who had made plans to be in certain places for a certain period of time, doing business in a certain city, and even making a profit. But they had forgotten God; and by doing this, they had become arrogant, James declares.

When we stop to think for a moment, we should realize that no one knows what the future holds. People who often travel in cars, trains, or planes could be involved in accidents that will bring their lives to a sudden end. Bankruptcy comes even to the wealthiest of the land. The loss of health could cancel our plans indefinitely. Tomorrow someone will suffer a heart attack, or stroke, or learn that they have a malignancy, and only a few months to live. Even life, James avers, is but a vapor, meaning the shortness of it when you compare it to eternity. Let us not be guilty of ever thinking we are in control, but rather always remember what we shall do and be, if the Lord wills.

In the past week, two people from my past, who at one time were very close to me, found me. One of them found my blog, while the other found me via Facebook. Both of them were people I met during my days in the army. One of them in particular, one of the nicest people I have ever known, single-handedly helped me make it through a difficult 8 months overseas during Desert Storm. Without necessarily trying, this person taught me more about respecting others than they will ever know. The other friend is someone I spent about every day with during the most difficult year of my life, about a year later. I thought it was an interesting coincidence that these two friends found me at such a close interval. They are still very important to me and always will be. I have honestly thought about them often over the years and wished good things for them but was resolved to the fact that I may never see or hear from them again. Then they found me. I am thankful for that. And maybe I will never “see” them again, but I am happy to be back in contact with them, nevertheless. It is good to be only a phone call away or an e-mail away from being able to communicate and “catch up.” It certainly has brought back a lot of memories from my army days; some wonderful, some good, some not so good. Regardless they are all memories I wouldn’t change for anything. My wife has had the privilege of hearing me reminisce a lot this past week, ha! Bless her heart. I am so glad that she likes to listen to me (well….sometimes).

So as these exciting events have been racing through my mind these past 8 days or so, this led to me thinking about something else, lately. Won’t it be nice to one day be reunited with loved ones in Heaven? I suppose neither I, nor anyone, can make a judgment with 100% certainty as to who all will be there and who all won’t, but I like to think that it will be a time that not only will I meet God, but will likewise be a time when I will get to see many loved ones whom I have been so privileged to know while here on this earth. I don’t know all of what Heaven will be. I only know what the Bible reveals about it. It is enough to make me certain that I want to be there. I don’t believe that I will share the same relationships with fellow citizens that I enjoyed while here on earth, but I will enjoy being reunited with brethren and loved ones, nonetheless.

Is Heaven something you think about often? Do you ever wonder what it will be like? Does being reunited with loved ones serve as an impetus in striving toward our promised land? What will relationships be like with those who were our spouses, parents, children, and friends, if these relationships won’t be the same? I even wonder if God has only revealed a small portion of what Heaven is really like, in order to keep us excited about it. I suppose if everything about that place of rest were revealed to us, there wouldn’t be much mystery to it.

I thank God for the hope I have as a Christian. I thank so many of my friends and brethren who have taught me what is important in life and have helped instill in me a desire to be with God and live my life serving Christ and others.

And may my actions, attitude, and service to others demonstrate this pining! Please continue praying for me, as I so desperately need them. I will continue to pray for you.

I enjoy fishing. I am by no means a pro at it. I don’t know a whole lot about what it takes to be successful but I know enough to know that I enjoy it. I did not go much as a child but after being blessed with 2 boys, I figured I needed to start doing it so I can take them. And it has been a hit with them. The boys love it. I enjoy being outside, feeling the wind hit my face, or feeling the sunshine come down on me. It is fun to bait the boys’ hook and watch them try to cast. It is a great feeling for the boys to get me a worm or live minnow to put on the hook. I enjoy the sound of the line flying through the air as the hook and bait hit the water and make that “circle” in the water. I enjoy watching the boys jump up and down when we reel a fish in. I even enjoy that “rush” when I get a bite and get to reel one in. It makes me chuckle how every time we catch a fish, the first question that comes out of Aaron’s mouth is, “do we get to keep it or do we have to throw it back?” It is just an all-around fun time for us. There have been a few times when I have been without the boys, whether with my dad or brother-in-law who have or at one time had, boats of their own. It is just something about being out on the water that is peaceful and enjoyable.

Well, I digress. Let’s just say that fishing is fun. I am at a stage in my life where I cherish opportunities to spend time with the boys like this. And what a great opportunity fishing provides in this regard! But I have to say this also; while I enjoy fishing, I am not as “fired up” about cleaning the fish. Oh, I enjoy eating it. But the gutting and cleaning is just nasty, tedious, and inconvenient. I would rather someone else do that part. Doesn’t that sound selfish? The last time the boys and I went fishing, we had several bass and a huge catfish. I was pumped! In my mind, the boys and I had caught them and we were going to make it home just in time for a big football game coming on that night. We were going to watch the game, while my wife cleaned the fish and cooked it. Yep, I had it all planned out beautifully. It was a Saturday, so I had even gone over my Bible class and sermon material for the next morning before we went fishing so I wouldn’t have to fool with it that night. What a day! Go fishing, catch a bunch, come home and watch football while my wife labors in the kitchen cleaning and cooking the fish.

Well, there was a slight problem. I forgot to communicate my brilliant plan to Cody. And she was busy doing some things on her own and was unable to fulfill my unimpressive effort of prophecy. So the 1st half of the ballgame, I cleaned fish. And did it with much less enthusiasm and excitement than I had when catching the fish. In fact, it was with bitterness, resentment, and irritation. The football game was much more important to me. I did not want to make the time to clean these fish. I wanted someone else to do it.

Sometimes I wonder if this is similar to what happens in our efforts to catch people for Jesus. That is, we study with them, do our best to show them from the scriptures what they must do to become a Christian, we get them in the water and baptize them, and….then what? Leave them out to hang and dry? To fend for themselves….with no spiritual cleaning or guidance in how to maintain discipleship?

Friends, that evening was a tremendous lesson to me. But I think spiritually speaking, it can be a great lesson for all of us. We cannot afford to lose focus on what is most important AFTER catching souls. If we catch them, great! That is what we are supposed to do. But we have to clean them too.

All of us have seen the scenario played out, where a new brother or sister is added to the Lord’s body (Acts 2:37-47), and now we don’t even see them. They have stopped coming and now they have not been seen in weeks, months, perhaps even years. What did we do? Or what about those times when we have witnessed someone becoming a Christian, and they have not grown at all. I am convinced that if our focus is on converting, rather than merely convincing, we might have better results. In other words, Christianity is much more appealing when it is demonstrated rather than merely debated. If we want to bring people to Jesus, we must demonstrate our willingness to live it so that what we teach will match our actions. Our teaching the gospel cannot be effective if our hearts are not set on actually living the gospel too.

Perhaps it is beneficial for all of us to remember the scene in Luke 5:1-11, when Jesus taught His disciples that their focus was now to be on fishing for men, rather than for fish. We are told that they brought their boats to land, left everything, and followed Him. Truly following Him; that is His Word, His example, and His love for mankind is how we will gain opportunities to teach others about salvation. When Jesus “caught” these disciples, He spent a lot of time with them, continuing to guide and teach them about the kingdom. He knew they were unable to learn without His teaching and example. Let us remember that fishing for men involves so much more than merely verbally teaching people about the kingdom. While such is necessary, we must also convert them through our actions and examples so they will be convicted that kingdom living is the greatest lifestyle in the world. Otherwise, we just get them wet. I pray daily that I will be willing to bring my worldly and materialistic boat to land, leave everything, and follow Him.

Have you ever thought about how easy it is to remain in our circles and extend mercy and love to each other? It is not a challenge for me to reach out a loving hand and help one who has done the same for me. Rarely, do I think twice about not helping out a person when there is a reward. But I was thinking recently; what about the ones who wouldn’t appreciate it; like the lepers that Jesus healed and only one was thankful? Or take it a bit further; what about the person who has done something really heinous and is looked down upon for it; like murder? What about the individual who has raped someone or that has molested a child? What about the prostitute? Or the old man who lives under a park bench and is drunk more often than he is not? And isn’t the drug addict, who thinks he has to steal from others in order to support his filthy addiction, a soul also?

I will admit, these are not the types of people I hang with. Maybe I should. Jesus, the person I adore the most and strive to live my life after, certainly would if He were here today. See, this is the human in me. The part that has the tendency to be arrogant, elitist, judgmental, and selfish. I was brought up in a culture that did not look favorably on these people. But on the other hand, I am now a citizen in God’s kingdom, a much more forgiving culture. There is no denying that these are precious souls, made in the image of God. No matter how awful the things are that these people have done or are doing, they are souls that God sent His son to die for just as much as He died for me. A close examination of Jesus’ ministry leaves little doubt that the least accepted of His culture, were the ones He reached out to. It seems that the majority of His time was spent with those that others wouldn’t be seen with. Many of us might feel that this is an unrealistic expectation. Sometimes I do. But would Jesus place upon us an expectation of which we are not capable? He taught us in Matthew 5:44, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” And while the aforementioned classes of people may not be our personal enemy per se, He does remind us in the same context that God has extended His love on the just and unjust; the good and evil (v.45). Jesus’ purpose of teaching what He did here was to instruct us on what life in His kingdom is like.

May we never lose sight of what kingdom living is really about; introducing to people the availability of Christ’s kingdom. God’s grace has been extended to more than just His people. Giving our life to Christ is great, and necessary. But it does not make us more deserving of His grace. So as the extension of Christ’s work on earth today; as His arms and legs, let us extend our grace. I pray that we will see the value of expanding the borders of God’s love beyond our families, friends, and acquaintances; even beyond the boundaries of justice when we feel that we have been wronged. Think about Jesus’ words as He hung on the cross to die with His spineless murderers just below; Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. There were no boundaries of His love for us.

Who are you willing to step “outside the box” for and pray for today? Do we accept that we are different, really (I Peter 2:9)? If so, then let’s extend our boundaries. Let’s try harder to broaden our borders to match that of God’s grace. It may not be possible, but let’s at least try it. Do it today. Do it tonight. Do it as soon as you can. Pray for someone you are not accustomed to praying for. When we are able to do this, maybe then we can see the value of wanting them to be a part of the kingdom with us.

Get a load of this nonsense! Unreal!

I surely hope this is a joke. If not, how is this supposed to set with taxpayers? I am not opposed to helping out the less fortunate with my money, but I think I’d have to draw the line here. Hopefully this is Larry Flynt, merely attempting to be facetious. Has anyone else heard anything about this?

God is good. I realize that it is impossible for the human pen to express fully the goodness of our great and almighty Creator. He is good to the righteous. He is good to the unrighteous who want to be righteous. He is even good to the unrighteous who have no intention of striving for righteousness. Jesus stated in Matthew 5:45, “For He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” John 3:16 and Romans 5:8-9 affirm that He loves us so much that He would allow His Son to die a cruel death on the cross for the sins of the world; a world that was and still is unlovable in so many ways. Yes, God is good. And because of His goodness, He is certainly a God worth praising.

I do not claim to have had a rough life by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, I think I have a pretty good one; far better than I deserve, for sure. However, there were times in my younger years (you know, back when I knew everything) that one could have looked at me and said, “there’s not a lot of hope for this boy.” I have done a lot of things of which I am not proud. Although I would not change them because my experiences have helped me be who and what I am today, I do regret the hurt I have caused people over the years. But I am not dwelling on that now (Luke 9:62). By the grace of God and the gentleness of the important people in my life, I have been forgiven. But I bring this up because I am happy and feel so blessed that God allowed me to leave that lifestyle and return to Him. His grace and love were anxious to welcome me back when I was about as unworthy as one can get. Of course, I am still unworthy. The difference is that now I realize it and am more in love with and grateful to God than I have ever been.

I am reminded of Paul’s words in I Corinthians 6; after he lists several types of ungodly activities that embedded the lifestyle of these people to whom he is writing, he says, “Some of you were like this; but you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (v.11). Paul also speaks from personal experience as he himself was a recipient of God’s grace that allowed him to be one with Him after leading a life outside of Christ. The point here is that God did not have to allow for anyone’s salvation. But He did, because He is good. The entire history of Old Testament times was so that God could bring all man into a covenant relationship with Him. It is what He wants (II Peter 3:9).

I mention these things for two reasons: (1) hopefully we will always realize the greatness of our awesome God. He deserves our praise and service. The more we get to know Him the more in love with Him we can become. And (2) I pray that all of us as Christians will recognize the need to be a kind and forgiving people ourselves. And gracious! The identifying characteristic of our discipleship should be our love for one another (John 13:35). That leaves out arrogance. It behooves us to remember the golden rule (Matthew 7:12) and how we ourselves had hoped to be treated when taught the gospel or corrected. We would do well to remember that God doesn’t care where people came from because once in, all are great in the kingdom (Matthew 18:1-5). Thus, hopefully we will always be willing to extend to one another the same grace that God has extended to us.

I pray that I will forever acknowledge that I am just as unworthy of God’s loving-kindness, mercy, and longsuffering as anyone. Just because I try to live my life in service to God does not make me any more deserving of salvation than the most ungodly people of this world. I have salvation and for that I am obviously thankful. I will strive to the best of my ability, to maintain it. But I hope that I will also be humble and meek in my efforts to help others contact the blood of Jesus (Romans 6:1-4), always remembering that God desires them to be saved just as much as He does me. It was the unrighteous and the “spiritual zeroes” of this world to whom Jesus reached out during His ministry (Luke 19:10). May I always see the value and necessity of doing the same during my own life while so blessed to be a part of God’s beautiful creation! And may we as Christians be loving, meek and gentle, selfless, joyful, kind, and sincere in our efforts to teach people the gospel (Ephesians 4:15). Sometimes this means accepting people for where they currently are, so that we can later teach them. Without a spirit of humility and disposition of gentleness on our part, the likelihood of the Lord’s church enjoying growth, success, and happiness is dubious at best.

How is this for creating great memories? Aaron shows off his bravery here…

I love my life. I have a good one and have undoubtedly been blessed far beyond what I deserve. I have a wife and 2 boys who love me, or at least put up with me. I have a house to go home to every day and enjoy being a family with my three most favorite people in the world. I have friends who love me and influence me and for that I am a better person. And I have a “job” that I love, which gives me a means to provide for my wonderful family. As a preacher, I get to see and do things that I probably would not experience otherwise. I honestly cannot think of a better life than walking in a partnership with Jesus every day in service to His great kingdom. It is a joy to be a part of this community and do what I can to influence people for good. I am thankful for the church here in La Grange for supporting me so that I can continue doing this for a living. I do not deserve to be so blessed. I acknowledge that I am a little biased here, but there just is not a greater way in my opinion, to spend my days while earning a living.

With that said my work as a preacher can sometimes get hectic too, as can any job of course. For the most part, in a small community like this, things are smooth around here and I am able to establish a routine that works for me and my family. But there are also deadlines to meet when something needs to be turned in or submitted. People in the congregation get sick unexpectedly and I want to be there for them if I can. Members have problems in which they ask for my help in dealing with them. And I am happy to do that. There are those that are grieving and I try to offer my support to them in whatever way I can. Then there are Bible studies that take place throughout the week sometimes, and I am blessed to have the opportunity to be involved in those. Sometimes my phone will ring late at night or early in the morning. Then there are the Bible classes and sermons for which to prepare, and articles to write. And I always try to make time for personal study and devotion to God. As enjoyable as my work is, it is a very busy work.

So when is there time to truly get out in the community and get some “hands on” influencing accomplished like Jesus did? I think this is something that perhaps all of us probably need to think about, especially me.

Let me offer an example of what I am talking about. There are occasions when I am seemingly doing five hundred things at one time and right in the midst of an inconvenient moment, someone will call or come by the church building needing some type of financial help. I have witnessed a lot of people come into the doors of this building who are in obvious need of help. Some of them are disabled vets. Some are low income single mothers with children. Some of them are unclothed except for bare essentials. Some have been very polite. Some have been rude. Some have been in tears. Some are young and some are elderly. I had a teenager call me one time that was in a wheel chair and had been abandoned by his father, and he needed some help. I can remember one time when a husband came in and was in tears because his wife left him because of a filthy addiction he wouldn’t give up. There are times when it is all I can do but pray to God and thank Him so much for my health and prosperity.

While I have always considered it a big part of my job as a representative of the Lord’s body of people here in La Grange, to assist whomever I can, I must also admit that the temptation exists sometimes to just unassumingly tell the person “we are not able to help you at this time, sorry.” This way I wouldn’t get bogged down with such tedious tasks of talking with the person and seeing what I can do to help them. It is nothing personal against them, but this will free up more time for me to do the work of the church, right?

The problem with this rationale however, is that talking with these individuals and seeing how we can assist them IS the work of the church. It is our most pressing duty as God’s people right now. What a tremendous example we find in Jesus. Our Lord’s purpose on earth was to do the will of the Father (John 4:34) by seeking and saving the lost (Luke 19:10). This was primarily His function. He preached and taught people about His kingdom every opportunity He had. And He did it well and effectively. He was loving, compassionate, patient, merciful, and courageous in His efforts to persuade people that the kingdom was in their midst and within their grasp if they would just accept Him (Matthew 4:23-5:12). But there is something else to consider in the manner in which Jesus taught. His method was not limited to planned occasions for publicly standing before people and teaching them. Rather, it was in every day life events where He really made the difference. He would take opportunities provided by people coming to Him. He actually helped them. He healed people of their sicknesses; He cast out evil spirits; He raised people from the dead; He made the blind see and the deaf hear. He used current events going on the lives of people as illustrations to teach them about God and His kingdom. In other words, He made the time! He was very busy. Often, He would make efforts to get away and be alone, sometimes even to pray to the Father. But people continued to follow Him. But He didn’t turn down the opportunities to serve them. He made the time.

Do we make the time? Every time I fail in this regard, and I do; I am guilty of forgetting the kingdom of which I am really a part. I know we don’t have time, so I am not even going to bother with that question. Of course, we don’t have time. We are all busy. But my question, is do we MAKE the time? In reality, I am not so sure it is even a matter of necessarily taking time out of our lives to serve God and introduce people to Jesus, as much as it is taking these opportunities while in the process of our living. In other words, being a light in our community should be our life. It is our lifestyle. Disciples are not forbidden from playing with friends, but because they are disciples they want to be a good influence while playing. God doesn’t expect His servants to forgo sporting events or other forms of entertainments. He actually wants us to participate in these kinds of things because that is our chance to be the salt and light to the world. Jesus reminds us in Matthew 5:13-16 that we are the Godly flavor to a tasteless world. It is not a matter of not doing these things; it is a matter of remembering Whose we are while doing them.

There are those in our respective communities who are genuinely hurting. Just like people in Jesus’ society were hurting. He reached out to them. It was an opportunity. There are those in our respective communities who are in need of love, grace, and forgiveness. They are in need of a sense of belonging. And as God’s community of believers, we need to be letting these people know that we are a safe haven for them. We want them to know that we are a place that they can come and feel safe and welcomed. If people can’t feel welcomed around us, how exactly are we going to fulfill our primary obligation to teach them about Christ? That is what kingdom living is all about. This is what Christ’s church is designed to be. We don’t “do” church, but we are the church. It is not “what we are” but rather, “who we are.” The church, when it was established in the first century, was not content with sitting in their own little circles, reaffirming their doctrinal beliefs week after week. Daily they were out in their communities seeking to establish relationships so they could do some good. And they grew as a result. They literally saw themselves as the extension of Christ’s work on earth. They made the time. Do we? Please pray for me that I may do a better job in making and utilizing the time I have. And I will continue to pray for you.

A friend of mine just showed this to me. I had to post it. Thanks Patrick!