Grains of Sand

Google Images One of the ongoing concerns that people have about the church is its revolving door, or back door. People come, some stay, others disappear, some look good, others look bad—spiritually, that is. There are complaints about hypocrites, and devastation when a spiritual giant within the congregation turns out to have clay feet. I remember a young man in my youth group—its leader as a matter of fact—who stood up one night in prayer meeting and confessed that he wasn’t a Christian. His profession, his baptism, his leadership was all fake, done to please his parents and others in the church. Looking back I might have picked up a clue on that when, as President of our Christian High School group, he refused to speak at an assembly and left me to do it. The non-Christian kids probably saw through him better than we did! But Jesus warned His followers that in the Kingdom of God there will be real “fish” and plastic “fish” and we might not detect the difference. Sorting those ou...

There is an interesting connection between Luke 11 and Luke 12 that I noticed this morning. Jesus was a forward thinker. With the kingdom always in mind, he often warned His followers to look beyond the present to the future. After His teaching on prayer at the beginning of Luke 11, Jesus shifts to reminding His followers that God is good and always gives good gifts to His children. His illustration has to do with bread and fish and eggs so the reader might think that the Lord is talking about material blessings (11:5-12). But then Jesus throws a curve ball by ending this particular teaching this way: “ If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! ” (11:13). Hmmmmmm, doesn’t sound like lunch to me! The message? The greatest gift God can give us is Himself. By the time we get through Luke 12, we are reminded again that God promises to provide for His children material...

“ Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away ” –Matthew 24:35, NIV. We worry a lot about the temporary. During those last days of Christ’s earthly ministry He warned His listeners about what was to come. The first section of Matthew 24 outlines some of the disasters, natural and otherwise, that would be the lot of believers. Actually none of those things was new information. Wars between nations, famine, earthquakes, persecution, deception and unfaithfulness to God had been part of the human experience since the fall of man back at the very beginning of time. However, the Lord did add some new information. The destruction of Jerusalem, and the temple that was so dear to the Jewish nation, was not far away. Jesus also reminded His followers that He would return at some point in the future, but until He did, and they would know Him when they saw Him, they were not to be deceived by the fakes that would come along or by the false prophets who would send them ...

It's Word Filled Wednesday again. Visit: http://www.extravagantgrace.net/ for more delightful mini-meditations in words and pictures. Early in the morning the birds come to my balcony with the expectation of provision. They constantly remind me that God looks after every one of my needs. " Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear…look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them…seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well " —Matthew 6:25, 26, 33.

I'm putting on my nationalistic hat this morning. Today is CANADA DAY. In a few days, our American neighbours will celebrate their Independence Day and, just a day after that, the country in which I live, Venezuela, will celebrate its own independence. Since today has a national flavour, the verse assigned for me to read this morning carried the same savour. " But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well " —Luke 12:31. Matthew's version of this verse speaks about the righteousness that is characteristic of the kingdom of God. That got me thinking (putting on my nationalistic hat) about the foundations upon which a kingdom needs to be built. The foundation upon which God's kingdom is build is Jesus Christ. Once upon a time the foundations of my country were established around a strong moral base, a base taken from a belief in God and an acceptance of the Scriptures. But since those strong beginnings, cracks have appeared in the foundation of ...

I spent a lot of time yesterday cutting out paper dolls. No, I haven't lost my mind, or slipped into my second childhood. And they weren't just ordinary paper dolls—they were Civil War period replicas—appropriate considering that this week, Canada, the United States, and Venezuela, all celebrate their respective Independence Days. This morning I mixed up a double batch of play dough. All this in preparation for my Sunday School class this morning. It takes time and effort to get creative and make Sunday School interesting for kids. Sometimes I have to remind myself why I do it. For one thing, I came to know the Lord through the faithful ministry of Sunday School teachers. Sunday School teachers are the unsung heroes in God's Kingdom. They plant seeds in the most fertile ground of all—the open and relatively uncomplicated minds and hearts of little children. God planted in me the desire to serve Him when I was nine years old. I wonder why? Those Sunday School teachers exempl...