They're Off!

"You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near"- James 5:8 (NIV).

Have you seen the movie Secretariat? He holds the largest victory in Triple Crown history; one of the greatest race horses of our time. Thoroughbreds are high strung horses, more so than any other breed. They're bred to run. It must be pure agony to be led into the small starting gate and then required to stand there until the gate opens, waiting for the announcer to shout, "They're off!" Standing still is not in a thoroughbred's nature, but if they are going to do what they love most... run... they have to endure the wait and stand firm until it's time. In this life, we are all in our own little starting gate, waiting, ready for the big event. It's hard to wait, to be patient; being still isn't part of our nature. Stand firm; the Lord is coming. When He does your senses will ignite and the Announcer will shout, "They're off!"  

Without Excuse

"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-His eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse"- Romans 1:20 (NIV).

How could anyone look around at this world and not believe in God? The sheer perfection of every detail foretells of a Master Creator. Most people know the value and quality of a Rolex watch. It keeps perfect time and has complicated pieces driving that small machine that rests on a person's wrist. Now, imagine taking that watch apart, every little tiny screw, bolt and spring, tossing them into the air and each piece falling back into place within the watch and it begins to tick. That's an absurd idea, but that's the same thing you believe if you think God's creation just happened on its own. "[A]ll things have been created through Him and for Him" (Colossians 1:16). The evidence of God is all around us. If we deny God's existence, in spite of the immeasurable evidence around us, we will be without excuse when we stand before our Maker.

False Starts

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with My loving eye on you"- Psalm 32:8 (NIV).  

We are all a lot braver at traveling to places, even remote places, than we've ever been before because of GPS systems instructing us where to go. Turn by turn, a voice lets us know the way and, if we miss a turn, will direct us back in the right direction. It's not so clear when waiting on direction from God. Some direction comes quickly, but there are times we have to wait...and we are a generation that detests waiting. In a race, those who move ahead before the gun sounds, are in violation of a "false start." It delays the race while runners have to go through the routine of lining up and getting on the starting blocks again. God promises to show us the way through instruction, teaching and counselling; He says, "I will." That's a promise. He will deliver; He always does. Do not find yourself in violation of a "false start." When you are in need of God's direction, "Wait on the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord" (Psalm 27:14). Hold your position so there will be no false starts.

Ally Ally In Come Free

"You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth? That kind of persuasion does not come from the One who calls you. "A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough""- Galatians 5:7-9 (NIV).

Children play a game with a catchphrase, "Ally ally in come free" or the variation "Ally ally all set free." It was used in hide and seek when I was little. That meant it was time to run to the designated "home" spot. You would be safe there. At the call we ran as fast as we could, with all the energy we could muster. Today's Scripture reminds us to be very careful about what, or who, influence you in your run or you could be cut off from making it home. Make sure it, or they, are Christ-centered, because the people and things you choose to subject yourself to, or join yourself to, like yeast, change your morals over the course of time (1 Corinthians 15:33). Instead, print out and tape the following Scripture to your morning mirror: "I will not look with approval on anything that is vile. I hate what faithless people do: I will have no part in it" (Psalm 101:3). Keep your eyes on home and run a good race. Watch for those who are trying to cut in on you; they do not come from the One who calls you: Ally ally in come free.

Heart Songs

"Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song"- Psalm 95:1-2 (NIV).

Research states people who enjoy music live longer. People who suffer dementia, who can't remember their own children, can remember lyrics to songs they enjoyed years past. And, as an educator, I can tell you that students who learn something in a song format will be able to recall the academically-intended lyrics years down the road. I'm sure you can attest to a couple of songs you've committed to memory. Have you ever noticed how much more enjoyment you get out of singing songs you are most familiar with? There's something gratifying, satisfying, about singing from memory; it's singing from your heart. The songs are connected to you somehow. Singing songs of worship, eyes closed and hands raised, those words pulled from your heart are the most powerful. You're missing a wonderful worship experience if you aren't learning praise and worship music. Best yet, you might be singing one in His presence one day and you'll know the words.

Never Alone

"Yet I am always with you; you hold Me by My right hand"- Psalm 73:23 (NIV).

Loneliness can kill, literally. Research says loneliness is as bad as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, by weakening the immune system and increasing blood pressure, thus increasing the risk of premature death by 14%. With an aging population, social isolation is the Grim Reaper waiting on the sidelines for the next client. However, believers know they are never alone. It would be interesting to see research on the number of believers, who are socially isolated, who suffer from physical issues from loneliness and premature death. The numbers would be low. I'm not saying believers are never lonely, but they don't suffer the biological changes that emotional stress causes. Aging is inevitable and social isolation a possibility, but feeling alone is a choice. My mother spent the last five years of her life in social isolation. She always wanted company and hated when we left, but after she passed, her Bible reflected Who she kept company with most. She had dated Scripture throughout her Bible. Little notes were scribbled in the margins. Her passing wasn't caused by loneliness. She held onto the Father's right hand; she knew she was never alone.  

Great Worth

"The king was greatly distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he did not want to refuse her"- Mark 6:26 (NIV).

King Herod had imprisoned John the Baptist because his wife, Herodias, who had also been his brother Philip's wife, was angry that John had told Herod, and circulated it, that it wasn't legal for her to be Herod's wife (v.17-18); but, Herod was enthralled with John; he feared him, but wanted to protect him, too, knowing John was considered a holy man and he loved to listen to him (v.20). What would have happened if John the Baptist had made a believer out of King Herod? So, Satan put a plan into motion. He trounced the possibility through the king's pride. Salome, Herodias' daughter, so moved the king and his guests in her dance that he almost gave away half his kingdom (v.23). His public offer of anything she wanted put his pride to the test when she asked for John's head. Herod was the king; he could do anything he wanted, except protect an innocent holy man he had grown to admire. If he had refused her, he would have put John's worth at more than half his kingdom. King Herod was greatly distressed; his enslavement to pride made him easily manipulated by Satan; however, Christ Jesus came to set us free from sin. We are worth much more than half of God's kingdom; God even gave His Son to die for us. Believer, you are of great worth.  

Your Mission

"However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me-the task of testifying to the good news of God's grace"- Acts 20:24 (NIV).

Some Christians say they've not yet recognized their purpose, their task, God has for them in this life. We are tasked to finish the the race set before us. Our task is to tell the good news in our mission field. Our mission field is wherever God has placed us. The Apostle Paul never complained about where he was; sometimes it was a church, sometimes it was a prison; no matter, he was always at his task. There is no retirement plan from the work, the task, God has given each of us. Our task ends when we finish the race. Your mission, should you choose to accept it (sorry Mission Impossible fans), is to accept His call, discipline yourself, finish your race, and receive your prize, an imperishable wreath (1 Corinthians 9:24-27). 

Do Not Leave Untouched

"Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms"- 1 Peter 4:10 (NIV).

You've seen them: Unopened Barbie dolls, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Marvel characters, NASCARs, etc. sitting on display, collecting dust. In this world their value remains intact or increases as long as they are left untouched. These gifts are not used for the purpose for which they were designed. The same is true of Christians who never use the gifts God entrusted to them. The Parable of the Talents gives an account of a servant who buried his talent instead of using the gift as his Master intended. The angry Master called the servant slothful and worthless. Then He tossed him into a very unpleasant place (Matthew 25:14-30). The others, who had used their gifts, were told they were good and faithful servants (v.21,23). Compare that Scripture to the Final Judgment Parable, when the King separated the sheep from the goats (v.35-40). Everything the righteous had done for others He said they had done for Him and He told them, "Come...inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" (v. 34). We serve God by serving others. Slothful and wicked or good and faithful? God's gifts do not increase in value if left untouched.

Better Plan

"However, as it is written: "What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived"-the things God has prepared for those who love Him"- 1 Corinthians 2:9 (NIV).

If you're a parent, you've experienced the begging of children produced at Christmas time whenever you enter a store with toys. They want the toy now, but you know what joys await the morning of December 25th, so you tell them no. Remember their faces? We as adults also beg God for desired items and sometimes, for reasons only God knows, He says no. God told Moses he wasn't going to be allowed into the promised land. The Bible says Moses "pleaded" with God to allow him, until God finally told Moses, "Enough!" (Deuteronomy 3:23-26). That's close to what I told my begging children in the department store. What Moses didn't realize was that he was going to a much better promised land than what lay across the Jordan River. God always, always, has a better plan for us than we can imagine; more than our wildest dreams. So, get that forlorn expression off your face; be content, trust Him.   

Therefore Go

"I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow"- 1 Corinthians 3:6-7 (NIV).

We collectively have one purpose: working in God's fields. Some will plant the seed, others will do the watering and, with tender care, God grows the harvest. Field work is hard work, but then the sheaves will be brought in with tears of joy (Psalm 126:6). Gaze out across your workplace, your neighborhood, your community; do you see the people? Their hearts are the fields in which we can plant and water the seed. Some seed won't take root. The devil has his way of snatching away the seed, but plant and water again. Don't grow weary working in God's fields, for the time will come when the season is finished (Galatians 6:9). After the harvest, at the end of the season, we will each receive our wages for the field work we did (1 Corinthians 3:8). We won't be paid for the condition of the field or the growth of the harvest; that's God's part. Our payment comes from our diligence and faithfulness in the work we are commissioned to do. Therefore go (Matthew 28:19-20). 

Big Finale

"Don't you have a saying, 'It's still four months until harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest"- John 4:35 (NIV).

Are you familiar with the story of the mother hen who found the wheat seed? She asked her fellow barnyard friends to help her plant, water, and harvest the resulting wheat stalk. Each request was met with excuses from each of the others; that is, until the mouth-watering warm bread came out of the oven. Then they were available to help eat the bread, but the mother hen refused them because they hadn't helped anywhere along the way to the wonderful finale. That parallels the coming of Jesus. We are asked to join Him in the harvest, the saving of souls, and excuses won't be tolerated when the day of His return arrives. Jesus tells us to 'open our eyes and look at the fields'. Do you notice the exclamation mark on His statement in today's Scripture. No more excuses; the time to harvest is now. The big finale is coming.