THE ANT AND THE GRASSHOPPER

THE ANT AND THE GRASSHOPPER!

Prov 6:6-8

6 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:

7 Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,

8 Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.

           Guided by some unseen force, the ant intuitively knows that winter is coming and works hard to prepare for it. She digs deep in the earth where the temperature throughout the winter will be constant. She bites the ends off of the grain to keep it from germinating and stores it in cells against the day of famine. She is prepared. She will survive.

           The story of the ant and the grasshopper has long been told and points out the need for preparation. The grasshopper lives in the present and seems to care nothing for preparation. The grasshopper mentality drives our economy and has driven it into bankruptcy. He does not store anything and when winter comes he has no cozy den. He is not prepared. He will not survive.

           The winter of death and eternity marches steadily nearer. Hebrews 9:27 says: “it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” Religious sloth is the worst and most damning kind. Another proverb says: “A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished” Prov 22:3.

Dear Lord, let me wisely prepare for my soul. Let me resort to Thee. AMEN

FIVE RULES FOR ANSWERED PRAYER

FIVE RULES FOR ANSWERED PRAYER!

John 14:13

13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

           George Ferdinand Muller (1805 – 1898) was a German born keeper of a large orphanage in Bristol, England. The orphanage at Ashley Down was built to house as many as 2,050 children! The architect who drew up the plans for the building donated his services.

           In his ministry as orphanage keeper, Muller never asked any man for donations. His requests were made known to God. In one case while 300 children were seated at the table for breakfast. A table grace was given although there was nothing in the house to eat. Suddenly the baker arrived with enough bread for all the children. Then the milk man knocked upon the door and donated milk because his cart had broken down in front of the orphanage. Muller had five rules for answered prayer.

1. Total dependence upon the merits of the Lord as the only basis for blessing.

John 14:13-14

13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

2. Separation from all known sin.

Ps 66:18

18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:

Prov 15:29

29 The LORD is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous.

3. Faith in God’s promises.

Heb 11:6

6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

4. Agreement with the will of God.

1 John 5:14-15

14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:

15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

5. Aggressive and persistent asking.

Luke 18:1-7

18:1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

2 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:

3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.

4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;

5 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.

6 And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.

7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?

Dear Lord, let us learn to pray “give us this day our daily bread” and let us, by faith, believe that you will provide it. AMEN

CHANGE FEAR AND HOPE

CHANGE, FEAR AND HOPE!

Josh 3:3-5

3 And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the Lord  your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it.

4 Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way heretofore.

5 And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the Lord  will do wonders among you.

           We are just two days from exchanging the old year to the new. Three things capture my thoughts: change – hope – and fear. 2016 has been a very stressful and difficult year for many and change is both welcomed and feared. Hope is encouraged.

           Change may have come in the form of empty chairs due to the tragic and sorrowful death of family members and friends. Other chairs, usually vacant, are now filled because of loss of employment. Nothing brings change like a new baby but even this can bring stress along with joy. Nothing is so unchanging as change.

           Uncertainty almost always encourages fear. It is why we dip our toes into the water before plunging in headlong. It is why investors are often called speculators. Uncertainty is a travelling companion of change. Uncertainty also travels with eager expectation which leads us into our third thought of the day.

           Hope is the expectation that things will turn out well. Sometimes it is based only upon itself. Hope in hope! In better times hope is based upon calculated circumstances and trends. It is what turns speculators into investors! The best hope is based upon solid character – such as the hope we have in Christ.

Heb 6:18-19

18 That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:

19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;

Dear Lord, we cannot stop change. We ask for help with our fears as we place our hope in you and your solid character. Thank you for your steadfastness toward us. AMEN

THE PEACE OF GOD

THE PEACE OF GOD!

Phil 4:6-7

6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

           Peace is that quietness of spirit that signals everything is alright. In that peaceful place the winds are mild and the temperatures are moderate; bills are paid and there is sufficient for today. In that peaceful place our relationships are pleasant and our enemies are kept far away. Peace! How we long for peace but there are at least four areas that are subject to turmoil.

           The heart is wounded throughout life by harmful things we have done and by damage done to us by others. One is guilt and the other is hurt. Unless we allow the Good Samaritan to bind up those wounds the hurt of the past will disturb our peace.

Ps 34:18-19

18 The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.

           The mind is divided against itself and disturbs our peace. We profess to believe but there is inward doubt. Our greatest doubt is regarding our own value.

Matt 10:29-31

29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.

30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.

           The will becomes paralyzed and we suffer the loss of peace that comes from indecision. We halt between two opinions and in doing so neither seems right.

Josh 24:15

15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

           The soul is exposed to too much noise, business, information and entertainment. The soul needs quietness, meditation and rest. The soul needs prayer. Even the music we choose either agitates us or soothes us. Choose quiet places, quiet people and quiet music. Find a place of refuge for the soul.

John 14:27

27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Dear Lord, give peace to those who are troubled today. AMEN

KNEE DEEP IN RIBBONS AND WRAP

KNEE DEEP IN RIBBONS AND WRAP!

Eph 4:4-8

4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;

5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.

           Well, it is early morning. It is now two days after Christmas and I am sitting in my son-in-law’s recliner. Last night we opened our presents and we were knee deep in ribbons and wrapping paper. Since Christmas came on Sunday morning, it was hard to know whether anyone would attend church but we had church anyway! The attendance blew me away! What was wrong with these people? Had I brainwashed them? Don’t they know they are supposed to obsess over presents and Santa Claus? No, they came to worship the Lamb of God. It was wonderful. I am in love with my church.

Whether your gifts were many or few, old or new, the idea of gift giving is an integral part of the celebration of the birth of Jesus. Indeed gifts have taken the spotlight away from the newborn babe. The Wise Men brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. All these were very valuable and all very symbolic of various aspects of the life and ministry of Jesus. The gold represented his royalty, the frankincense spoke of his priesthood and the myrrh foretold his suffering and death.

           Mary gave gifts too. She gave her body to be used as the first home of the savior. Within her womb God and man would join and grow. She also gave her reputation as a pure woman sacrificed on the altar of slander,  gossip,  and disbelief. A sword shall pierce her heart also! This was the prophecy of Simeon.

           Joseph gave his love, protection and fatherly leadership. To Mary he gave the gift of acceptance and understanding. He took part of her shame and became the earthly father of the Son of God. It was a valuable gift.

           The greatest Giver is God who gave the gift of His Son to die for the sins of a fallen race and to offer salvation to any who would receive it. “He gave gifts to men” is what Ephesians 4:8 tells us. The Greek word for gifts is doma which simply means “a present”!

           Even for a few days after this wonderful day you will hear people ask: “What did you get for Christmas?” The answers will be as individual as the person responding to the question. I have received the wonderful gift of grace, a robe of righteousness which is a perfect fit, the forgiveness of all my sins, a companion to be with me forever and at all times. I also received a gift card worth a home in heaven to be redeemed at a later date. Yes, this Christmas, I am knee deep in ribbons and wrap!

2 Cor 9:15

15 Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.

Dear Lord, thank you that along with the psalmist I can say: “surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life – and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord – forever”! AMEN