Strange and interesting Events from January 29 in history:

1845 – “The Raven” is published in the New York Evening Mirror, the first publication with the name of the author, Edgar Allan Poe.  (…it flew off the shelves…)

1936 – The first inductees into the Baseball Hall of Fame are announced.

1963 – The first inductees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame are announced.

Today’s Inspirational Quote:  “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

A Laugh for Today:  The only reason people get lost in thought is because it’s unfamiliar territory.

Today’s Fuel4theFire:  The announcement was made from the pulpit: “We will not be taking an offering today, we have so much money that we don’t know what to do with it.” This account is based on a true story.

While it’s generally not a problem these days, it was in the wilderness as they gathered material for the construction of the Tabernacle. “And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing. For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much” (Exodus 36:6-7).

Granted, it was a different animal; they were bringing materials to build the Tabernacle and the need was limited; but it still speaks of a willingness to give on the part of the people.

We have people who work hard for their money. Many have gone to school to gain a skill or learn a trade and followed that up with getting up every day and going to work. Others trained on the job and have been faithful to their employer and their family by putting in the hours and doing quality work. In exchange you pick up a paycheck.

We also have people who are frugal.  They understand well the value of money and know that it doesn’t come easy and so they don’t spend it frivolously.

It says to me that giving is a powerful statement.

Think about it. We invest long hard hours; all the while looking ahead to payday; and then we give a substantial portion to the church even though we value money and have other needs and desires that we could be spending it on. It is a powerful statement.

It says that we believe what we say we believe. It establishes the fact that our faith has substance to it rather than just words. It proves that what we say truly represents the love for God and the trust in His Word that resides deep within our heart. Empty words undermine the faith concept. James said it well, “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone” (James 2:17).

While it may look like money that you put into the offering plate, in reality it is a piece of yourself. Your time, sweat, energy, and skill are the trade off you make for a paycheck; and Paul understood it too as he recounted the faithful giving of the Macedonians even though they were in poverty. “How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves … And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God” (2 Corinthians 8:2-5).

Giving of yourself is a powerful statement.

Do you have to give in order to be saved? That’s a good question … the answer is no. The thief on the cross next to Jesus never dropped anything in the offering plate. But on the other hand, I bet if somehow he found himself in church the next Sunday he would have given generously. Can you honestly say that God has your heart if He doesn’t have your wallet or your purse? If you do not give or you give grudgingly then you have yet to realize that giving is a powerful statement.

And that’s a little fuel4thefire.

And remember … I love you guys.

Tom

Strange and interesting Events from January 22 in history:

1889 – Columbia Phonograph is formed in Washington, D.C.

1946 – Creation of the Central Intelligence Group, forerunner of the Central Intelligence Agency.

1970 – The Boeing 747, the world’s first “jumbo jet”, enters commercial service for Pan American Airways with its maiden voyage from John F Kennedy International Airport to London Heathrow Airport.

Today’s Inspirational Quote:  “Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be”  ~ Abraham Lincoln

A Laugh for Today:  Did you know that dolphins are so smart that within a few weeks of captivity, they can train people to stand on the very edge of the pool and throw them fish?

Today’s Fuel4theFire:  “Act your age.” I guess I’ve been on both ends of that phrase. Acting your age has to do with maturity. Maturity is at a premium these days. Maturity is all about reaching your potential for God. It has to do with becoming all you were created to be. There are so many things in our world that hinder maturity. According to the book ‘Living from the Heart Jesus Gave You’, maturity is impeded by unresolved trauma and the lack of life giving relationships. True enough.

Maturity is not something you attain by signing up for it or just by the fact that you desire it. Maturity comes as the people close to us breathe life into us, especially in the formative years. It is like training in a new employee. If you don’t show him the ropes he will have to figure out the job on his own. If he doesn’t know how to do the job or if he chooses not to do it, he will become a detriment to the company instead of an asset. A person that has a bad role model or no role model for how to live may become a drain on society rather than a contributor. Their emotional development, or maturity, is stunted without a life-giving relationship in place.

A verse in the middle of the book of Isaiah says it well. “… take root downward, and bear fruit upward” (Isaiah 37:31). To me that describes maturity. Maturity is forged in the quietness of the mind and the solitude of the spirit. Maturity is like roots, it’s under the surface and out of sight. It develops as resistance is given; authority is in place and discipline applied.

It is why we need to thank God for hardship. I know that is a bit counter culture but think about it … a soldier on the front line of battle looks back and gives thanks for boot camp. An athlete in the final minutes of the game when his body is taxed gives thanks for all the pain he endured in training. A politician in the midst of a debate is thankful for the hours of painstaking preparation. A student rejoices in the endless hours of study logged as he receives a good grade on his final exam.

Public victories are not won without private victories first; victories that come in the gym, in the weight room, in the library, in the classroom, and in the prayer closet. Those are the settings in which maturity takes root downward; like roots that give strength in the time of storm.

The maturity journey never ends. And no matter where we are on the ride there is more to gain. We must always be in the process of pursuing maturity. We must be willing to ruthlessly assess our emotional development and confront our weaknesses. Here are some questions to ask yourself:

• How do I respond to correction and authority?
• How do I deal with conflict?
• How do I manage anger and emotional outbursts?
• Do I avoid situations that make me uncomfortable?
• Am I willing to sacrifice?
• Do I take responsibility for my actions?
• Do I contribute to the common good or drain the resources of society?
• Do I overcome or do I avoid?
• Do I encourage or do I complain?

It is only in taking root downward that we can hope to bear fruit upward. That is the essence of maturity. And that’s a little fuel4thefire.

And remember … I love you guys.

Tom

Strange and interesting Events from January 15 in history:

1844 – University of Notre Dame receives its charter from the state of Indiana.

1889 – The Coca-Cola Company, then known as the Pemberton Medicine Company, is originally incorporated in Atlanta.

1892 – James Naismith publishes the rules of basketball. (…I don’t think he pictured LeBron on ‘The Decision’…)

Today’s Inspirational Quote:  “Man’s mind once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimension” ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes

A Laugh for Today:  A Sunday school teacher asked her little children as they were on the way into the church service, “And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?”

One bright little girl replied, “Because people are sleeping.” 

Today’s Fuel4theFire:  We all know a little about budgeting money. We may not be good at it … but at least we know something about it. But we seldom talk about time management. Was Jesus good at budgeting time? Did He ever run late? Did He miss appointments?

How would Jesus handle time if He lived today? Would He fly from one important meeting to another on Delta Airline? Would He use a cell phone? Would He text? Would He do video-conferencing? Would He Skype? Would Jesus promote meetings via mass mailings? Jesus on go-to-meeting.com?

Mismanagement of time is one of the great maladies of our day. We have all the time saving devices imaginable; we can travel the world in hours and across town in minutes but we do not have enough time for the things that really matter.

Author Gordon MacDonald in his book “Ordering Your Private World” lists

The four laws of unseized time

Law #1 – Unseized time flows to my weaknesses: He points out that Identifying your mission in life keeps you on task. Jesus understood His mission: “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). Without a mission you spend too much time on things you are NOT good at instead of what you are good at.

Law #2 –  Unseized time comes under the influence of dominant people in my world: Dominant people and causes will impose themselves on your time. If your calendar is disorganized or non-existent how can you say ‘no’ to anyone? You must take the initiative to command the time BEFORE the dominating forces get to you.

Law #3 – Unseized time surrenders to the demands of all emergencies:  It was Charles Hummel who stated, “We are governed by the tyranny of the urgent”. If we are poor time managers the urgent will squeeze out the important.

Law #4 – Unseized time gets invested in things that gain public acclamation. If our time is unstructured, the pleaser or the attention seeker tends to rise up within us.

Jesus understood why He was here and what His Father had called Him to do. “For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). He measured His time against His sense of mission. As a result, what the disciples often saw as interruptions, were to Him ministry opportunities (Mark 10:14; Luke 8:49; Mark 10:46-52).

But Jesus in His humanity chose to share our limitations. He also recognized His need to rest, to eat, to play; and He knew He needed to pray and spend time in solitude away from the drain of life and ministry.

Do you know your mission? Do you know why you are here? Do you recognize your limitations? On a one to ten scale (1 = terrible; 10 = excellent), honestly rate your time management skills and send me the rating you give yourself @ mills_eecolts@hotmail.com. I am looking forward to hearing from you.  

I’m not sure how He would do it today, but Jesus was the model man and a master at time management because He understood His mission. The urgent never supplanted the important in His life.

That’s a little fuel4thefire.

And remember … I love you guys.

Tom

Strange and interesting Events from January 8 in history:

1790 – George Washington delivers the first State of the Union Address in New York City.

1835 – The United States national debt is -0- for the only time. (…downhill ever since…)

1918 – President Woodrow Wilson announces his “Fourteen Points” for the aftermath of World War I.

                                                       (…and you thought my three point sermons were bad…)

Today’s Inspirational Quote:  “Don’t carry a grudge. While you’re carrying a grudge the other guy is out dancing.”   ~ Buddy Hackett

A Laugh for Today:  “I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.”   

~ Mark Twain

Today’s Fuel4theFire:  Do you know what I think is the most ingenious invention of all time?  Traffic lights. They are brilliant but simple. It ranks right up there with the paper clip and the rubber band. Think about it; it is a universal system; it doesn’t matter what language you speak or where you are; and it requires virtually no training to use even though life and death hang in the balance literally millions of times per day. Red is stop, green is go and yellow is … well … go faster. Brilliant but simple.

According to the crack research team here at F4F, we have Garrett Augustus Morgan to thank for the modern version of what we know as traffic lights.

Early in the 20th century the roads were clogged with pedestrians, bicycles, horse-drawn wagons and then came those newfangled automobiles. Traffic was largely unregulated and chaos ruled the streets. For a period of time as era’s converged, accidents were becoming all too common place. Morgan felt compelled to improve the situation. What resulted was the precursor to the modern traffic signal, patented on November 23, 1923.

Without traffic lights everyone would have to stop at busy intersections; it would take forever to get onto bustling thoroughfares. You can see traffic lights from a long distance and the system seldom fails. No one ever mistakes red for green or vice versa. It is brilliant, but oh so simple.

Brilliant but simple also describes the plan of God. He knew exactly what He was doing from the onset of time and in fact had the plan in place from the very foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8). He first told us about it way back in Genesis 3:15 when He prophetically spoke of the crucifixion and how Satan would bruise the heel of Jesus; and the Resurrection and how Jesus would deal a fatal blow to Satan’s cause and crush his head.

It is sometimes referred to as Substitutionary atonement. It was brilliantly devised in the mind of God and was executed with cunning. When our children are hurt or going through something that causes them pain, we instinctively want to take their place. This substitutionary principle; so intrinsic to us as human beings; is invoked to perfection by God and His only begotten Son. “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed “ (1 Peter 2:24). Brilliant but simple.

The substitutionary principle is seen in the Old Testament concept of the scapegoat which was a shadow of the coming Savior. Throughout the year and on the Day of Atonement, the record of all the sins of the Israelites was transferred to the Tabernacle by the blood of the sacrifices. On the Day of Atonement, the tabernacle was cleansed of all the accumulated sins by the ritual described in Leviticus 16. At that time the high priest transfers the sins of the Children of Israel to the scapegoat which is then sent into the desert wilderness. The Tabernacle and the Children of Israel were thus cleansed of sin. Brilliant but simple.

So we have Garrett Morgan to thank for traffic lights and our heavenly Father for Salvation. “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

So if we will but we receive by faith the sacrificial offering made on our behalf, the penalty that we deserve is levied on Jesus as our substitute. “…Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved…” It is brilliant but simple.

That’s a little fuel4thefire.

And remember … I love you guys.

Tom

Strange & interesting events from January 1 in History:

1773 – The hymn that became known as "Amazing Grace", then titled "1 Chronicles 17:16–17" is first used to accompany a sermon led by John Newton in the town of Olney, England. (…I call him ‘Fig’, we have a pretty good vibe going…)

1801 – The dwarf planet Ceres is discovered by Giuseppe Piazzi.  (…this would not be politically correct anymore…it would have to be the little people planet …)

1860 – First Polish stamp is issued. (…insert your own joke here…)

Quote of the day: “A man is what he thinks about all day long.”  ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Chuckles & Chortles: Pedestrian: Someone whose children are home from college.

Today’s Fuel4theFire:  Death is a funny thing. Harry Morgan (col. Potter), Peter Falk (Lt. Columbo), Sherwood Schwartz (creator of the Brady Bunch & Gilligan’s Island), Jackie Cooper, Liz Taylor, Jane Russell, Cliff Robertson, Amy Winehouse, Andy Rooney. Every year around this time we see the list of those who have passed on during the previous calendar year. 2011 was no exception.

The world’s most powerful people often head the list; Kim Jong II, Geraldine Ferraro, Betty Ford, Moammar Gadhafi. Others are not necessarily in places of authority but certainly in places of influence; Steve Jobs and Jack La Lanne for example. Renowned sports figures like Joe Frazier, Al Davis and Harmon Killebrew were also unable to escape the clutches of the Grim Reaper. Death is a funny thing.

“In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” Apparently Ben Franklin said that in 1817.“Death, taxes and childbirth! There’s never any convenient time for any of them.” That was a line from Gone with the Wind way back in 1936.

Those sayings draw on the inevitability of death and the difficulty in avoiding the burden of taxes. Death is a funny thing … not ha ha funny … more interesting funny. Everybody dies. Intellectually we all know it and yet there is a part of us that is in just a tad of denial. William Saroyan was an author who on his death bed expressed what we all feel, “Everybody has got to die, but I have always believed an exception would be made in my case.”

Death indeed is unavoidable. Only two in all of history have escaped the grips of death. Elijah was caught away in a flaming chariot (2 Kings 2:11) and God just took Enoch (Genesis 5:24).

Most sources affirm that there have been over 100 billion people born on planet Earth in our long history – two escaped without death as their vehicle out of this life. Two of 100,000,000,000.

So I wouldn’t count on the flaming chariot or being so one with God that He snatches you up right where you are. The Bible says, “… it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).

Death is a funny thing. Neither fame, fortune nor power can spare you from the snare of death. It does not matter how much money you have, who you know or who knows you; death will one day come a knocking. You may have the best workout routine and be faithful and diligent in the implementing of said workout routine, you may have access to the best and most current medical technology, you may even be the nicest guy in the world – death still looms. 

There are 51,882,000 deaths per year. That’s almost 150,000 deaths every day. Death is a funny thing. Who will be on next year’s list?

What questions are worth asking as we consider this? Am I right with God? Have I asked God to forgive me of my sins? Have I turned from the ways of the world to the ways of God? Am I born again according to John 3:3? And am I doing all I can to see that God’s Word is proclaimed in the world in which we live? Is there anyone I need to tell … what if they are on next year’s list?

Death is a funny thing; but death should not catch us unprepared; after all, like taxes, we know its coming. But at least death doesn’t get worse every time congress convenes.

That’s a little Fuel4theFire.  

And remember … I love you guys.

Tom

Strange & interesting events from December 25 in History:

1826 – The Eggnog Riot at the United States Military Academy concludes after beginning the previous evening.  (…nothing good happens after midnight…)

1868 – U.S. President Andrew Johnson grants unconditional pardon to all Civil War Confederate soldiers.

1990 – The first successful trial run of the system which would become the World Wide Web.

Quote of the day: “Carve your name on hearts and not on marble.”  ~ Charles Spurgeon

Chuckles & Chortles: “The difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense” ~ Tom Clancy

Today’s Fuel4theFire:  Christmas is a wonderful time of the year. The kids are off school and most adults get a little break from work and get to spend some extra time with family. Christmas is a time to be thankful for the good things that God has brought into our lives. Yet, for many, Christmas is a difficult time. Some have lost loved ones during the past year. I did a ‘Service of Remembrance’ at a nursing home in Duluth this week and they read a list of residents that had died this year and I was stunned at how many there were.

Maybe your year had more sorrows than joys. For many, finances are tight and the cost of gift-giving raises the stress level. Some have a foreboding feeling of what looms in 2012 and that can put a damper on the holidays. At the very least the New Year holds uncertainty. Maybe we can Discover Hope this Christmas.

Why did He do it? Why did Jesus put on flesh and become a man? Jesus came to earth on that first Christmas night because He loves you. Jesus came to save you from your sins, your worries and your fears. Jesus came to have a relationship with you that would last forever. On that first Christmas, hope was born into our world.

What is hope? Hope is a confidence that something good is going to happen in the future. Hope in some ways is the opposite of worry. Worry is the fear that something bad is about to happen.

Years ago, God spoke through Jeremiah and said, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11-13). This Christmas, God wants to give you hope; hope for the New Year and hope for the future.

Why is hope so important? Think of this; when you are looking forward to vacation or a visit from someone special, you have a bounce in your step that comes from anticipation. When you are looking ahead in hope, it helps you to look past your present circumstances. Hope keeps your eyes on the prize even when the storms of life blow hard against you.

So Jesus, hope incarnate, sent from the God of hope, comes to bring us hope. The fact that He entered into our hopeless world gives us a future to anticipate and a reason to live. The anticipation of a future that is good brings into play two other missing essentials, joy and peace.

“Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost” (Romans 15:13).

When our focus is on the moment and our immediate state of affairs we run the gambit of emotions; life is roller coaster where we hit manic highs and cavernous lows. Hope helps us to hold on when times are tough and life is hard. It is hope for the future that keeps us living above our circumstances. It is hope that brings joy and it is hope that gives peace.

My prayer is that Christmas is more than stress and more than added calories. I pray that we Discover Hope This Christmas.

That’s a little Fuel4theFire.  

And remember … I love you guys.

Tom

Strange & interesting events from December 18 in History:

1271 – Kublai Khan renames his empire “Yuan” officially marking the start of the Yuan Dynasty of Mongolia and China. (… I guess we all remember where we were that day …)

1912 – The Piltdown Man, later discovered to be a hoax, is found in the Piltdown Gravel Pit by Charles Dawson.

1958 – Project SCORE, the world's first communications satellite, is launched. 

Quote of the day: “A smile is a light in the window of the soul indicating that the heart is at home.”

Chuckles & Chortles: Can you make a candle out of earwax? Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, “I think I’ll squeeze these dangly things and drink whatever comes out”?  Is sign language the same in languages other than English?

Today’s Fuel4theFire:  Faith is one of those Christian concepts that is never quite defined for us in a way that we can really wrap our brain around. We know WHAT we believe and we even know THAT we believe. But there are doubts. What do we do with those lingering doubts?

I believe God heals; yet there are times as I pray that I have a certain amount of doubt. Does just saying I don’t doubt change the fact that there may be doubts? Does even asking the question mean I lack faith?

A few years ago we believed that God was leading us to try to get an Assembly of God school assembly program into our local high school. The odds were against us from the beginning, but we continued to follow the path before us.

We met with the Principal and told him that God is not mentioned in the assembly part of the program that every student is required to be at. But we would announce at the end of the program that we would be meeting in the school auditorium that night after free pizza to present a Gospel message that dovetailed with what we had talked about during the day.

To say he was leery is an understatement. He was concerned with parent groups and the ACLU and on top of that, they have hundreds of school assembly programs to choose from. Why would he choose the one from a religious organization that may get him in trouble?

As it turns out, that was but the first of many hoops we would have to jump through. At the end of each meeting with a person of importance I could not see how it would EVER happen. It was impossible! But in the end, ‘The 7-Project’ was chosen as one of the school assemblies for the year!

When it was all said and done, I had to ask myself the question … why did I think it was impossible? Why didn’t I just believe that it would happen? Did I have faith or not?

The Bible defines faith like this, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). On the surface … not a lot of help.

But think of it this way, faith believes through the doubts. Getting the ‘7-Project’ into the public school was impossible; at least it faced tremendous odds; but we pressed on through the process. That is what faith does. Had we known that we could do it – then it wouldn’t have taken any faith. But we knew it was virtually impossible. To continue on would require faith that God could do the impossible.

Faith does not give up even when everything inside you says, “This cannot be.” Faith is not a feeling, it is choice to act against the odds and against the natural laws and tendencies of our fallen world and instead choose to believe God. Faith believes through the doubts.

Faith is not robotically saying words that conform to some formula – faith believes through the doubts. Faith is not saying words that you don’t even believe yourself – faith is obeying God despite the pull in another direction. Faith is KNOWING that I am incapable of the impossible but also knowing that what is impossible with me is possible with God.

I do believe that getting the 7-Project into the public High school was all but impossible. That’s why we needed God! Our faith was the catalyst that moved the hand of God.

That evening 300 students came to the presentation and 70 gave their life to the Lord. I know … it sounds impossible, but faith is believing through the doubts.

That’s a little Fuel4theFire.  

And remember … I love you guys.

Tom

Strange & interesting events from December 11 in History:

1816 – Indiana becomes the 19th U.S. state.  (…hoosier daddy…)

1941 – Germany and Italy declare war on the United States, following the Americans’ declaration of war on Japan in the wake of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The United States, in turn, declares war on Germany and Italy.

1972 – Apollo 17 becomes the sixth and last Apollo mission to land on the Moon.  (…Did you hear about the restaurant on the moon? It has great food, but no atmosphere…)

Quote of the day: “Skill and confidence are an unconquered army” ~ George Herbert

Chuckles & Chortles: When tempted to fight fire with fire, remember that the Fire Department usually uses water.

Today’s Fuel4theFire:  Jesus is called the ‘Lion of Judah’ and the ‘Lamb of God’. So which is it? Is it either, neither or both?

I believe that both of those qualities were found in Jesus. There were times when being passive and compliant just wouldn’t do. In those moments He was a lion; “And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves…” (Matthew 21:12). Hard to believe this is our Jesus.

On other occasions He was very different. There was a day when Jesus and the disciples were weary after a long day of ministry in the desert sun. The Bible records that they tried to get away to rest but people desperate for a touch followed them like modern day paparazzi. Jesus had every right to be indignant! Would the lion deep within Him once again erupt? “And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.” (Mark 6:34)

I believe this ought to be an example to every man who calls himself a Christian. After all, we are to have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16).  I believe that within the heart of every man resides both a lion and a lamb. How can it be? Is it either, neither or both?

Experience tells us that both have taken up residence there. Aren’t there times when you explode in fury over some irritation? And aren’t there times when we stand by passively as an injustice occurs? A lion and a lamb …

The problem is not that God has not equipped us with what we need; it is that we do not have the discipline to what’s right instead of what we feel like doing. Scripture is rife with examples: When Jesus was being taken from Gethsemane, the lion within Peter erupted; “And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest’s, and smote off his ear. Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword…”(Matthew 26:51-54).

Peter did what he FELT like doing. The lion emerged and Jesus had to tell the big fella to relax.

Contrast that with Adam in the Garden of Eden when the first sin in human history took place. “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat” (Genesis 3:6). Oh, Adam … why didn’t the lion within you come forward and rescue your wife from the tempter? But instead the lamb stood by passively and we suffer the consequences still today.

The lion and the lamb; either, neither or both? The answer has to be both. The trick is to allow the right one to emerge at the right time. When your wife is telling you how difficult her day was and how she feels misunderstood, all too often the lion within us emerges and we tell her to ‘buck up’ and give her a ‘how to’ lesson on dealing with the situation. The tenderness of the lamb would have served us much better.

And then there are times when the weak and defenseless are abused or threatened; and rather than stand by timidly like a lamb, the king of beasts within us ought to be charging to the forefront.

It is time for the men of the church to stand up and be counted. It starts with being men of strength and self control; men of peace and men of war; able to use the weapons in our arsenal as God intended us to. The lion and the lamb; which are you: either, neither or both?

That’s a little Fuel4theFire.  

And remember … I love you guys.

Tom

Strange & interesting events from December 4 in History:

1110 – First Crusade: The Crusaders sack Sidon. (…unfortunately it was before official sack totals were kept…)

1619 – 38 colonists from Berkeley Parish in England disembark in Virginia and give thanks to God; this is considered by many to be the first Thanksgiving.

1954 – The first Burger King is opened in Miami, Florida. (…this is considered to be the second thanksgiving…)

Quote of the day: “Apathy grows quietly where rapture used to fly”   ~ Sister Hazel

Chuckles & Chortles: If God is watching us, the least we can do is be entertaining.

Today’s Fuel4theFire:  The Bible is filled with ironies. If you want to be great, you have to serve. If you want to be wise; you must be as a little child. If you want to be rich, you have to give it all away. If you want to be first, you have to be last.

But perhaps the most ironic of all Biblical principles is God’s command to love our enemies. Surely this is a mistranslation. It has to be a copyist error. Vengeance would have been easier to stomach. Don’t get mad – get even … isn’t that in the Bible? 

The Bible reveals the true heart of God in that there are seven duties of believers toward enemies:

1)    Love them (Mt. 5:44; Lk. 6:27)

2)    Bless them (Mt. 5:44; Lk. 6:28)

3)    Do good to them (Mt. 5:44)

4)    Pray for them (Mt. 5:44)

5)    Lend to them (Mt. 5:44; Lk. 6:28)

6)    Be kind to them (Lk. 6:35-36)

7)    Be merciful to them (Lk. 6:36)

It would be hard enough to do all that for someone I loved … but my enemies?!

Why would God want us to love our enemies? Let me give you four reasons:

1. God is love – It is not just that God loves a lot or God commands love or commends love; God IS love. It is not just what He does … it is WHO He IS. Love is the very nature and make up of God.

2. God loved us when we were still His enemy – “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son…” (Romans 5:10). He didn’t wait for us to admit we were wrong. He just loved us. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

3. We are never more Christ-like than when we love our enemies – It is easy to love someone who is good to us. It does not require obedience or sacrifice or wisdom to love those who love you. True Christ-like love is expressed when we love our enemies. Remember that it was from the Cross that Jesus said, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34).

4. It is ultimately the road to victory – Love is the only way to turn an enemy into a friend. “If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the Lord shall reward thee” (Proverbs 25:21-22).

As believers we have the power to love our enemies. Apart from Christ we are left to the leanings of the flesh. We seek after vengeance and we want to get even. We think we are noble when we merely turn a cold shoulder, but God commands us to second mile love. I think that’s in the Bible too.

“And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain” (Matthew 5:41). The first mile is nothing more than our obligation; we have done nothing more than our reasonable service. But as we do more than the world does; as we do more than others would do … we are opening the door to the heart of our enemy.

That’s what love is. That’s what love does. It is not about being right; it’s about second mile love. No one has ever been debated into heaven; but many have been loved into the Kingdom. Romans 2:4 reminds us that it is the goodness of God that leads us to repentance.

It is second mile love that opens the heart of an enemy and earns us an opportunity to share the goodness of God. How ironic.

That’s a little Fuel4theFire.  

And remember … I love you guys.

Tom

Strange & interesting events from November 27 in History:

1924 – The first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is held in New York City.

1940 – At the Battle of Cape Spartivento, the Royal Navy engages the Regia Marina in the Mediterranean Sea.    (…did you know that the Norwegian Navy is the best one they have…)

1963 – Lyndon B. Johnson makes his first address to Congress as president following the assassination of John F. Kennedy five days prior.  (…he said, ‘I am not a crook’ … no wait …that was a different guy…)

Quote of the day: “You can tell how big a person is by what it takes to discourage him.”

Chuckles & Chortles: A lot of church members who are singing “Standing on the Promises” are really just sitting on the premises.

Today’s Fuel4theFire:  It’s in all the papers; “Occupy Wall Street.” Quite the movement. Thousands have gathered in big city and small town alike to protest corporate greed and economic and social inequality. The protest apparently began on September 17, 2011 in both New York and San Francisco. It seems to have caught on, at least to some degree. As of November 17 the ‘Occupy’ homepage listed 2,609 ‘Occupy’ communities worldwide. Even Duluth, Minnesota, our neighbor across the bridge has been making headlines as police removed the tents of the protesters.

Did you know that the Bible tells us to ‘occupy’?

There seems to be a difference in the Bible ‘occupy’ and the ‘occupy’ of the current protest movement. According to the dictionary, ‘occupy’ means, to fill up (time or space); to dwell or reside in; I think that describes the protest movement. The activists plan is to take up space in key city squares and intersections. They draw attention to the cause by taking up space.

The Bible ‘occupy’ is very different; note how the word is used in Luke 19:11-13.  “And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear. He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, ‘Occupy’ till I come.”

In Greek, which is the original language of the New Testament, ‘occupy’ is the word pragmateuomai; from this we get the word ‘pragmatic’ which has to do with the practical, realistic and sensible.

In the original language it means to busy oneself; to trade. It has to do more with going about our business than it does with merely taking up space.

While the ‘Occupy’ Wall Street movement is about shutting things down and clogging traffic, the type of ‘occupy’ movement we are to be part of is more about making things go and being a blessing.

When Jesus ascended into heaven forty days after the Resurrection, His followers did not know what would come next. They watched Him drift off into heaven and stood dumbfounded. Two angels appeared and said, “… Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). And they returned to Jerusalem to be about the business of the kingdom. They were to ‘occupy’ till His return.

In the Luke passage we see that the premise of the parable is to deal with people who thought that the kingdom would ‘immediately’ appear. Jesus wanted people to be productive – not just to take up space. We are to ‘occupy’, we are to busy ourselves with the work of the Lord.

It was as a twelve year old boy (Luke 2:49) that Jesus expressed the true concept behind the ‘occupy’ movement; “…I must be about my Father’s business.” That’s what I believe He would say to us today, “‘Occupy’ till I come.”

That’s a little Fuel4theFire.  

And remember … I love you guys.

Tom