Praise Gives Meaning to Christmas

"Rejoice in that day and leap for joy …” (Luke 6:23)

In the first part of this Christmas meditation I listed some of the sensations that make up our celebration of Christmas. You will be able to add many more that are meaningful to you to the list. Each of these can be an anchor, reminder or invitation to take part in the fullness of celebrating the birth of the Messiah. Let us consider a few expressions we might choose.

We find true meaning in the season when we praise God for His greatest Gift, Jesus. “In the fullness of time… God sent His son to redeem … and adopt … us” (Gal. 4:4-5). Meditating through the day on verses like these will focus you in praise.

Christmas joy increases when we join others in worship. One great family tradition is to attend a midnight service on Christmas Eve. The praise of the worshipers will truly make an impact on your mind, heart and emotions as you, your family and the congregation rejoice together at the incredible Good News of the Savior’s birth.

Another wonderful family tradition is to sit down together, read the Christmas story out of a new Bible translation and then ask each person to share one thing that impressed them from this old but ever new story. You can conclude with singing two or three Christmas carols and a prayer of thanksgiving and praise.

Finally, you can find some place to be alone, read Scripture and a devotional thought or two about the Incarnation and ask the Lord to make His first coming fresh and real to your heart. Ask Him for a new thought … perhaps this, “nothing could be stranger than God in a manger!” Halleluiah!

There are many opportunities to praise God in our Christmas celebrations. The only real limit is our imagination and our willingness to join the heavenly choir “…praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased” (Luke 2:13-14).

We at Ventures wish you a praise filled Christmas and a blessed New Year. Bullets for the Battle will take a break until early January. We look forward to being part of your devotional reading in 2008!

Sensations of Christmas

“… It is I myself! Touch me and see…” (Luke 24:39)

Christmas comes to us through all our senses:

• Sight: Christmas trees sparkle with tinsel and ornaments; lights strung on buildings glow in the dark of a winter night; candles flicker in churches and homes as a promise of the Light.


• Sound: carols are played everywhere; choirs, great and small, perform seasonal works; bell ringers’ bells remind us that the greatest rewards are found in giving.


• Smell: gingerbread baking in the kitchen; evergreen scents from tree, wreath and garland; fruit and spices add a rich note in stores and homes.


• Touch: the softness of a special, seasonal sweater; smooth yet spiky holly leaves, all the textures of the costumes the children will wear for the “Best Christmas Pageant Ever.”

We move through, participate in, and observe all the joys of the season. There is so much to do, plans to make, presents to buy, so many people we want to visit and so little time to accomplish all we have on our schedules. Yet we long for more, for meaning as well as all the sensations of the season.

If we are wise “in Christ” we will find meaning only when we put a premium on praise as the most joyful expression of Christmas.

Praise is not only the greatest meaning of Christmas it is the greatest meaning of life! The person who knows much or the person who knows little are equal if their hearts are filled with praise for Messiah. The one who knows everything or the one who knows nothing please the Father equally when they are on their knees in praise for Emmanuel!

Praise is truly the “Hand of the Spirit” that touches the wonder of Jesus in the manger! “I will praise you, Oh God, with all my heart …” (Psalm 138:1)

The Bullet of Removing the Dross: Part 3

What, then, is the cure for the “soul wastes” of life? It is to know the forgiveness of God and to love and forgive all others! God’s love alone is the only way to eliminate the waste of an ungodly spirit. Purity of thought and action alone will bring freedom, peace and excitement to life.

King David gave us the answer to the waste of the soul in Psalm 119:9 and 11. “How shall a young man keep his way pure? By taking heed to Thy Word. … Thy Word have I hidden in my heart (memorize and meditate) that I might not sin against Thee.”

Sinning against God is as futile as trying to hold your breath against the air! It won’t work and it can’t last! Jesus came to rid the world of waste and recycle man for maximum meaning. I’ve let Him start on me … and it’s exhilarating! How about letting Him start working on you?

The Bullet of Removing the Dross: Part 2

Hatred, bitterness, revenge, self-centeredness, lust, critical spirit, false values, greed, resentment, unforgiving spirit, hypocrisy, idolatry (fame, success, things) and low goals and values can all be categorized as the “wastes of life.”

Take hatred and an unforgiving spirit as an example. Hidden hatred can turn a likable lady into a suspicious carper. It can turn a warm, understanding man into a caustic cynic.

David Augsburger, the brilliant Mennonite author, has added, “Hatred corrodes a disposition, elevates blood pressure, upsets digestive works, ulcerates a stomach, brings on nervous breakdowns, and how about a coronary? Boiling inside is a form of slow suicide.”

The cost to incubate the waste of hatred will ruin a man’s health, lose his friends and make him powerless to lead his family. So it is with all the “soul wastes” of life.

The Bullet of Removing the Dross: Part 1

All of us take for granted the amazing waste disposal system God has placed in our bodies. I certainly don’t mean to be uncouth, but the failure to eliminate liquid and solid wastes from the human body results in pain quickly and death ultimately.

I have been in on those serious family medical conferences when a blocked intestine has been discovered and must be dealt with immediately. Not being able to rid oneself of waste leads to disease and demise!

Equally as important as the elimination of body waste, is the critical issue of dealing with soul and spiritual waste. Just as the Father has designed systems to remove waste products from the body, so He has equipped humanity to throw off the waste products of the soul and to sustain spiritual health if we will listen.

The person of wisdom and triumphant living can adjust to everything that “comes at him” in life. That individual will take, learn and draw strength form what is of value and then dismiss that which is useless and dead.

The Bullet of Human Nature: Victory!

If any of us are to know peace, joy and fulfillment we must stake our lives on the “only One” who truly understands us as we are, Jesus Christ. He loves us, knows our problems, died for us, was resurrected for us and offers us power to be overcomers.

The person who puts his confidence, worth, security and hopes in other people is doomed to despair. Other people … victims of the same disease that cripples us (sin) … either can’t understand or won’t understand. Even those who try to understand can offer only comfort and not power.

How do you handle it when people misunderstand your motives, criticize your actions, enjoy being your enemy, poison the minds of those who listen against you and refuse to forgive your mistakes? Only Christ has the answer.

First, admit to any and all that you need their forgiveness and that you make mistakes. Be honest. Second, constantly work at purifying your motives and actions with Christ as your teacher. Third, forgive others even if they attack you and won’t forgive you. Fourth, by His power, love everyone and leave the results to God! That’s the way our Lord told us to handle it. What fantastic truth!!

These things I have spoken to you in order that in Me you will have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage, I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)

The Bullet of Human Nature: Evil Tendencies

Will it ever end? Don’t bet on it until Christ comes again and gives us His perfect Kingdom! I’m talking about “misunderstanding” and all the attached frustrations and bitterness that accompanies the same.

Everyone talks about love, forgiveness, patience and understanding, but relatively few folks show any passion to do anything about it. Even when we want to “forgive and forget” we seem powerless to pull it off. We forgive who we want and resent who we want! The result is enemies, insult, verbal abuse and bitterness.

All of this comes about because man in general doesn’t understand the human situation. We keep laboring under that false and erroneous notion that man is “basically good.” In no uncertain terms the Bible teaches that “man is basically bad although he wants to be good.” Paul, Christianity’s most outstanding saint, confirms this when he says in Romans 7:19 … “the good I wish I do not, but I practice the very evil I do not wish.” This is my own experience and that of everyone I have ever known.

This ignorance of man’s basic “evil tendency” is the bed rock of all of our disappointments, delusions and unfulfilled expectations. Even Jesus didn’t put His confidence in men because He knew the basic evil of their hearts (John 2:24).

A Thanksgiving Reminder
By Ruth Ann Stites

My local public library is a community asset. On any normal weekday, to walk through the door is to see the diversity of people in my growing town, to undertake a treasure hunt through its well stocked shelves, or to be captivated by the effortless movements of a golden eyed, bright yellow tropical fish who lives in the children’s area aquarium. A century of service is represented in this institution, giving continuity to the learning, entertainment, and inspiration found here. The library is a material benefit with a lot of power to affect people – body, mind, and spirit.

This library is familiar, sometimes exasperating when I fail to find what I want, almost always busy. Some days I hurry in, grab a title, and race away. Other times I have the leisure to browse or sit and relax. I usually take my city library for granted; it’s just one of the places I go regularly in my busy schedule.

This Thanksgiving has reminded me to appreciate my library. It has also pointed out a truth about the holiday: We need to be reminded to focus our attention on the good things in our lives for which we are thankful.

This truth applies to spiritual as well as material benefits. We have so many good things in our lives because of Christ. We need to be continually reminded to stop and be thankful for Him at Thanksgiving and on every other day of the year!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving from all of us at Ventures for Christ.

The Bullet of Faithfulness: Measuring Faithfulness

All of us seem to be filled with self-righteous irritation when people or things we depend on are unfaithful to us. Let me ask you a few questions and please answer honestly:

1. If your car starts one out of three times, do you consider it dependable or faithful?
2. If your paper boy regularly skips leaving two editions a week would you call him faithful?
3. If you failed to go to work three or four days a month, would your employer consider you dependable or faithful?
4. If your refrigerator quits for a day now and then, do you excuse it and say, “Oh, well, I can depend on it most of the time?”
5. If your water heater greets you with cold water instead of hot, one out of two mornings, would it be dependable or faithful?
6. If you miss a couple of mortgage payments each year would your mortgage holder say, “That’s okay, ten out of twelve isn’t too bad?”
   
   Faithfulness means just that. Dependability which is consistent and without excuse! How does the Father view your faithfulness toward His gifts with which you have been trusted … your time, your church, your money, your responsibilities and your opportunities to give?
   
   “In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.” (I Corinthians 4:2)

The Bullet of Faithfulness: Giving is Natural and Right

Everything we possess has been given to us by God to keep in circulation. We don’t really “own” anything! It is all ours only on a trustee or stewardship basis. Man is God’s “agent” to distribute His wealth.

Everything God made continually gives. The sun gives. The waters give. The air gives. The earth gives. God’s beauty in the skies and the mountains proclaim that the Father’s basic desire is to give!

But man, in his state of rebellion against the God who made him, is different. Man wants to keep. Man’s desire is to get, get, get. Man’s three main words are me, myself and mine!

None of us will ever begin to live until we are faithful to the purpose for which we were created. God has made of us stewards of His wealth. The more you and I keep His gifts to us in circulation the more He will trust us to manage.

In Luke 16:10 our Lord said, “He who is faithful in little is faithful in much.”

The Bullet of Faith: The Great Leap

A great Presbyterian preacher, Louis Evans, tells of a little boy who heard his daddy working in a dark cellar at their northern home. It was pitch black but the boy could hear his father moving around the cellar. The father looked up and could see the form of his son framed in the doorway. To have fun with the boy he said, “Jump son, Daddy will catch you.” Now the little boy believed his daddy was down there because he heard him moving around. He heard him speak and trusted his daddy’s invitation that he would catch him because his daddy loved him. However, the only way to prove that he really believed and really trusted was to jump … to act!! The reason that church life and Christianity is so stale to thousands of people who claim to be following Jesus Christ is that they have never really jumped.

How about you? Only when you “bet your life” on what you say you believe and trust does faith really come alive! That’s why Jesus said, “Be it unto you, according to your faith.”

The Bullet of Faith: Adding One Upon Another

Many people today believe in God with their heads. They believe He is there; they’re not agnostics or atheists. They believe the world is held together pretty much by what He allows and doesn’t allow. Many folks go on to have a trust in their hearts for God. They aren’t against Him; they are for Him. But this is not enough to have real faith … the kind of faith that changes a man, the kind of faith that brings excitement, the kind of faith that makes life an intoxicating adventure. No, these things come only when the third aspect of faith is realized and acted upon. There must be a commitment of the will to what we say we believer and trust or else there is no real faith. Remember the words of Jesus, “Happy is the man who hears and does what I say.”

For years I believed that water skiing would really be fun. I trusted that the skis and the water would hold me up, but it wasn’t until I committed myself to a ski, a lake and an end of rope tied to the end of a motor boat that I began to experience the thrills and joys of water skiing. Authentic Christian faith is just like that – action must be added to belief and trust before it is experienced.

The Bullet of Faith: The Three Things Required

The word “faith” is not a simple word. Witness the confusion, the poor definitions and the inability of thousands to get hold of it. The greatest insight I have ever gained on this powerful little word is that faith is a combination of three things … a belief with the head, a trust with the heart and an act of the will. The Greek word for faith is a verb which includes all three ideas.

For example, let’s take the commitment made at a marriage ceremony. A man might believe in his head that the woman he is marrying is beautiful. He might also trust in his heart that the emotion he feels for her is real. But, unless there is an act of the will in committing himself to her at that moment and for years to come, his belief and trust really mean very little. A woman would be foolish indeed if she would accept the proposal of a man who said he believed in her and had a heart affection for her, but he would rather live with her several years before he married her. She has nothing to gain by this and everything to lose. A man who believes and trusts always commits to action or else there is something wrong with his belief and his trust.

The Bullet of Making a Life: Little Things …

One of the most popular ballads of the nineteen fifties was entitled “Little Things Mean A Lot.” I’m sure the truth of this statement did as much to make the tune number one on the hit parade as did the melody and/or the beautiful voice of Kitty Kallen who sang it. Without question, it’s the correct performance of the little things that leads to great things!

For instance, the golfing ability of Jack Nicklaus made him a legend in his own time as one of the all-time great players and money winners. A closer look at his competition, however, provides a startling revelation of how “little” differences there really was between Mr. Nicklaus and the other pros on the tour.

During one season of his professional career, Mr. Nicklaus was the top money winner receiving $228,854. Fellow pro Bob Charles was in twenty-fourth place that year and won only $48,757. Mr. Nicklaus’ average stroke per game totaled 70.34. Mr. Charles’ average scores per game totaled 70.90. The difference of only a little over half a stroke (.56), but the difference in money was $180,097!! Yes, little things mean a lot.

The Lord Jesus Christ said the man who is faithful in little is faithful in much! Time for a friend. That extra moment for your child. That thoughtful note of gratitude to someone. A quiet moment of prayer. The little things done well become the great achievements of life.

There’s a fine line between a champion and an also ran. Little things do mean a lot toward “living it up” God’s way. Perhaps that was one of the secrets of our Lord’s magnificent life. He lived what He preached beginning with the little things. We can do no better!

The Bullet of Real Life: Tossing Steaks Around

One of the church’s most tragic mistakes is that it tries to grab bones out of folk’s mouths instead of offering them steak. This is where Christians get the label of the “naughty no-no gang.” Unless the church crowd can demonstrate a superior lifestyle, consisting of abundant joy, problems being solved and a life of peace and purpose, no one is going to pay any attention to what they say.

Admittedly, the failures of Christians are evident everywhere. But so are the failures of non-Christians. Comparing degrees of failure is futile. Assigning blame is not the basic issue of life. The basic issue is to find answers…or THE answer. Those of us who have experienced Jesus Christ have had it both ways, life without Him and life with Him. The latter is by far the more fulfilling and joyous experience. My own testimony would be that I have given up nothing to follow Jesus Christ. He has simple replaced the things I used to consider priority with far greater and lasting values. I’ll never go back!

Jesus Christ came from heaven to clue us in on real living. Thousands who have believed Him have found His promises to be true. He delivers on what He says. Why gnaw a bone when you can eat steak? That’s not giving up a thing…so please don’t knock it unless you’ve tried it. And say, Christian, let’s get busy throwing some steak around!

The Bullet of Real Life: Dried Bones or Juice Steaks

One of the biggest misunderstanding most “non-church” folks have about Christianity is that being a serious follower of Christ involves “giving up” something worthwhile. Nothing could be further from the truth! This is like saying I gave up being alone to fall in love, or I gave up my prison cell for the freedom of 40 acres, or better still, I gave up my ignorance for wisdom! (Remember, ignorance is bliss only if you remain ignorant!) The worth of Jesus Christ is so fantastic that nothing is worth keeping if it cheats us out of having Him! A man is a fool if he keeps something cheap when it could easily be replaced by something of superior value and quality!

I like to illustrate this truth by what I call the “Meat Bone” Philosophy. Let’s say a hungry, stray dog walks by you carrying an old dried-up chicken bone in his mouth. You reach down and try to take the bone! What happens? He growls, runs or perhaps even tries to bite you. No stranger is going to get “his bone.” But what if you had dropped a large piece of steak, cooked to medium rare, in front of him? Why, there’s not a dog in Dogland that wouldn’t drop his bone and grab the steak. In essence, that’s what the Gospel is all about. Why gnaw on bones of human limitation when you could just as easily eat the steak of God’s fulfillment?

The Bullet of Success: The Value of Failure

Who hasn’t failed?

The Apostle Paul failed. Peter failed…every one of the twelve apostles failed.

David, Israel’s greatest kind, “a man after God’s own heart,”…failed. Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived…failed. Moses, a giant among the Israelites, giver of the law, delivered of his people…failed. Jacob, father of Israel…failed. Isaac, son of the promise…failed. Abraham, progenitor of Israel, father of the faithful, prototype of those who are righteous through faith…failed! Even our first parents, in their human perfection…failed.

Who hasn’t failed?

It isn’t failing that is the problem. It’s what one does after he has failed. To take failure as final is to be a failure. To see in failure the school of the Spirit is to let failure contribute to one’s growth in Christ.

“To what do you attribute your success?” asked the young executive of the bank president. “Two words,” responded the president, “good decisions!”

“But how did you learn to make good decisions?” asked the young man.

“Two words,” the president answered, “bad decisions!”

Who hasn’t failed? Only one…Jesus Christ!

And in His perfection He laid down His life to cover the failure of all. “God works in everything for good to those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28

The above words were penned by one of my favorite Presbyterian Pastors, Richard Halverson. My past failures have taught me that if anyone can do anything better than you can, let them do it. This is a case in point. I hope you’ve made the decision to let Christ go to work on your failures.

The Bullet of Success: How to Evaluate Potential

A man might fail twenty times in a day but succeed a hundred times! That’s a pretty good record. To judge him by his twenty acts of failure is not only short-sighted but stupid. A man’s sins are meaningless unless they are compared to his acts of righteousness!! In the first months of a baby’s life the mother and father consider the dirty diapers, the messy food and cries in the night “as nothing” compared to the potential of the little life God has given them. Those of us who can not see the potential in our fellow human beings and, instead, complain about their weaknesses are life’s greatest fools. We cheat ourselves and miss the purpose of what God is up to! In 1 Corinthians 4, the Apostle Paul sums this whole idea up with these words,

It’s a very small thing to me that other men should judge me or evaluate me on man’s standards. I don’t even trust my own judgment on what kind of man I am. My conscience is clear, but even that isn’t final proof. It is the Lord Himself who must examine me and decide. So be careful not to jump to conclusions before the Lord returns as to whether someone is a good servant or not. When the Lord comes, He will turn on the light so that everyone can see exactly what each one of us is really like, deep down in our hearts. Then everyone will know why we have been doing the Lord’s work. At that time God will give to each one whatever praise is coming to him. (Living Bible)

I’ve known some poor, pathetic souls who, no matter how good something is, will find something wrong with it. Yet, I have been blessed immeasurably by others in terrible situations who have discovered the good in it.

May God deliver me and us from that group of negative, sour, self-centered, bad-mouths who can always find something wrong. What they say or think really doesn’t make any difference anyway. When we all stand before God, He won’t show us the clips but the full film. Then and only then will we really see what we really are!

Keep playing the game, Christian. If you’re giving it your best shot and improving daily, it’s a “no seat” situation!

The Bullet of Success: Everyone Fails

I suppose the greatest sin we commit toward our fellow human beings is condemning them for isolated acts of failure. One of the most thrilling truths of the Gospel is that a man is not judged just for his mistakes but evaluated on his total life.

I am most remorseful at myself and others when we participate in that nauseous pursuit of fault-finding. Anyone can find fault! Only the purest personalities have the vision to see potential! Many demented, self-centered and narrow people are experts in making other wonderful human beings look bad. Illustration: How easy it would be to televise a basketball game and isolate on one player for the entire contest. You could take that hour of film and cut out all the good plays and make a ten-minute clip of his fouls, bad passes and missed shots.

The finest basketball player in America could be made to look bad with this method; however, if you viewed the full sixty minutes it would have been one of his best games!! It all depends on what you’re looking for!!

Babe Ruth struck out twice as many times as he got a hit, yet he was one of the outstanding baseball hitters of all time! Knowing how many times he missed is meaningless unless you also know baseball and how many times he got a hit!!! You can’t judge an athlete by the isolated bad plays but by the total game. You can never evaluate a person correctly based on his single bad acts without also viewing his multiple accomplishments for good.

The Bullet of Hope: Part 2, The Joyful State of Those Who Hope in God

There are only two options open for any of us if we are to escape the ravages of disappointment, despair and despondency … the wisdom of man or the wisdom of God! As indicated in part 1, only the tip of the iceberg tells us that man’s solutions are inadequate and illusory. Many people just “reduce their expectations so they won’t be disappointed!” Their joy is not in “the good achieved” but in “the bad avoided.”

In Psalm 4, King David wrote “Many say, where can we find happiness.” He answers by saying, “O, Lord, let the light of your face shine upon us. You have filled my heart with greater joy than when grain and new wine abound. I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety!”

In Psalm 3, David states flatly … “To the Lord I cry aloud and He answers … from the Lord comes deliverance!”

Those who hope in God are never disappointed! Let’s hope we’ll allow our disappointments to refocus our expectations! That’s the only way to conquer!

The Bullet of Hope: Part 1, The Sad State of the Despairing

When expectations fail to materialize there is disappointment. Continuous failure to fulfill plans, hopes and desires leads to fear! Fear of inadequate ability! Fear of wrong values! Fear of low self-worth! Fear of antagonistic associates!

Give a man or woman enough disappointments and fears and the result is despair! A person whose hopes have been repulsed continually brings failure that wares out courage. Discouragements too frequently and long-continued may produce a settled hopelessness.

All around me I sense people living in despondency and despair! Despondence relaxes energy and effort and is attended by sadness and distress. Then comes despair, which results in strong apathy or desperation. Desperation is nothing more than despair in action!

Pills by the millions are being bought, stolen, prescribed and swallowed in hopes of some kind of balanced escape and restoration of joy! But “drug therapy” is not a long-term answer for the majority! America’s “kick” to buy “bottled happiness” is just that … a kick in the air that hits nothing and accomplishes less!

The Bullet of Being Positive: Let Jesus Cancel the Negatives

The negatives of the human dilemma will drive a realist to emotional sickness unless he can develop a positive attitude. If Jesus Christ wants to do anything for Christians, it is to give them a positive, conquering, can-do, optimistic attitude.

We own too much to those who love us to allow ourselves to be weakened by those who hate us. As Robert Schuller so well puts it – Christians should be “possibility thinkers” … never “impossibility thinkers.” The entire human race is divided into one or the other. The “possibility thinker” knows the true joy of living because he … turns dreams into exciting achievements … turns problems into profitable projects … turns obstacles into rare opportunities … turns opportunities into rich enterprises … turns tragedies into inspiring triumphs.

The greatest “deal” a person can discover on this little planet is to let Jesus Christ turn you into a positive thinker! Believe me … all of us are far more negative than we think we are. That’s why we have so many problems and so little joy! Jesus Christ has promised to change anyone who will give Him the opportunity. How about it?

The Bullet of Being Positive: Majoring on the Minor Problems

Kipling said that if you can keep your head on straight while everyone else is losing theirs it proves you are a man. The only way to “keep your cool” in this life is to concentrate on what’s right with God rather than what’s wrong with man!

Some time ago the Consumer Products Safety Commission cited the alarming fact that 0.008 per cent of the population are injured every year in matchbook-related accidents and issued comprehensive matchbook regulations requiring that the striking surface be on the back, that the staple be so placed that it cannot be nicked by the match and that the match must not protrude from the closed matchbook, must not crumble or break or delay for more than two seconds in igniting or afterglow for more than five seconds or reignite. Next the Commission was scheduled to review bobby pins, coal scuttles and plastic squeeze bottles for ketchup and mustard.

The priorities of our government border at times on the brink of insanity! They ignore America’s illness of alcoholism and go all out against sugar substitutes! It’s the same old story of dropping H. Bombs on mosquitoes and firing a BB gun at an elephant.

Else we be too hard on our government we need to remember their mistakes are usually our own only magnified. One of human nature’s greatest frailties is overemphasis on the trivial while ignoring the critical. We spend $4,000 to bury the body of a loved one yet never spent so much as $40.00 on his spiritual betterment while he was alive.

The Bullet of Family Life: Married Love is the Answer

(If you are single this “Answer” is still important. Married or not we all have a stake in good marriages as individuals and as a society. We should all use our opportunities to encourage each other in the kind of love that makes a family all it should be.)

Throughout the country today – especially in Christian circles – there is an explosion of interest in the husband-wife relationship. Thousands have discovered for the first time the true fascination of the “one flesh” union in Christ. Many feel they are past help and long ago buried any expectation – other than minimal – for their married life. Yet, help – real help – great help is available to those who want it.

It’s amazing how much the Bible has to say about love, sex, romance, marriage and children. The Scriptures teach that a man’s greatest joy and fulfillment as a man should have its source in a Godly woman. Children are more greatly affected by love between their mother and father than by love between parent and child. Someone has said that the greatest thing a father can do for his children is to lover their mother.

“Therefore shall a man leave his father and mother and shall cleave (be know together) unto his wife; and they shall be one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed” (Genesis 2:24-25). The nakedness spoken of here is that of body, soul and spirit. Many couples have so many walls and so much guilt between them that they never experience the delicious and intoxicating fullness of knowing another human being the way God intended! Only Jesus liberates a man and woman to be together the way God purposed in creation.

Marriage is God’s idea! It won’t work without Him! How are you doing?

The Bullet of Godly Family Life: The American Family

The number one problem in America today – without question in my mind – is the lack of spiritual leadership in the home. If God designed the family, you’d think He could make it work! He could if men would listen and act out the role God has designed for them. God has designed the husband and father to be the priest and leader of his home. According to the New Testament, he is to act like Jesus Christ toward his wife and his children. A wife and mother, as well as children, can’t help living life to the fullest measure if one like Jesus is in their midst. The vast majority of men don’t live this way, and don’t even understand that they are supposed to! Hence, the tragic instability, drift, unhappiness, drudgery and purposelessness of much family life.

In a recent national survey two things that teenagers would change first in their father was 1) that he wouldn’t get so mad, and 2) that he would admit his mistakes. Another survey indicated that seventy percent of wives seeking psychological help feel that their husbands don’t listen to them when they talk! Conversation in so many homes center on trivia – what’s for dinner, take out the garbage, isn’t it hot today, etc. – and not on the realities that build deep abiding relationships.

The Bullet of Success: The Importance of Being Purposeful

Everyone has commitments, but less than three percent of us have written goals. Even some of these written goals are inadequate to help us reach our possibilities. Unless a Christian has committed himself to God given goals then all of his commitments, no matter how successful, will ultimately lead to frustration!

The trouble with most of our commitments is that we just “fall into them,” have them forced on us or choose them too lightly or in ignorance.

Success in life boils down to: one, choosing the best commitments; two, earnestly and sacrificially completing them until; three, you find yourself progressively living up to all your possibilities.

Life knows no sweeter satisfaction or fulfillment than that which comes to the “committed disciple.” Frankly, that’s what God is up to in the experience of every Christian! I pray we’ll allow Him to be successful in your life and mine!

The Bullet of Success: It Takes Commitment

Discipleship, how do we get there? Only by commitment. A working definition of commitment is where most believers experience a break down. Commitment is not activity. It is not even meeting obligations. Nor is it making a living or simply achieving various honors or accomplishments.

True commitment is choosing God given goals and actively seeking them. Coordinating all your resources to reach them and then completing them, you reach your maximum possibilities as a human being.

The Bullet of Success: The Revolutionary Disciple

Commitment and discipleship are two concepts Christians toss around continuously. It’s a shame that most of us only “toss them around” and never get a handle on what they really mean. True commitment and discipleship revolutionize lives, homes and churches.

It’s obvious there are not enough revolutions going on! The point of this article is to create vision and action for more personal revolutions.

It seems that the Lord Christ’s favorite word for those who took Him seriously was “disciple.” The Greek word “Mathetes” is used approximately 269 times in the four Gospels and the book of Acts. It means a “trained one” or a “taught one.”

A disciple according to Scripture is one who, first, continuously saturates himself with the teaching of the Bible (John 8:31-32). Second, a disciple is one who continually gives his life, lays it down for others (John 13:33-34 and 15:13). Third, a disciple is one whose life bears fruit … others love God more because of his presence (John 15:16 and 17:20).

So much for the definition of discipleship! Next time we will take a look at one vital element necessary to be a great disciple.

The Bullet of Leadership: Creativity

I continue to be challenged by the following excerpts from a great article. Please read, enjoy and take to heart these words from Christianity Today (10-24-1980), “Unlocking the Creative Dimension.”

“All of us have had our creative ideas shot down. The leader who allows these experiences to lead to a cynical, pessimistic attitude is choosing to languish in self-pity and tedious routine. Perhaps only two out of ten creative ideas will blossom into workable programs.

You can forget about being creative if you can’t stand to make a mistake. Any organization must develop a high tolerance for failure. Failures are the necessary price we pay for good, successful, creative ideas!

Many churches (lives) are dead in the water, without power and drifting from crisis to boredom! All because of a lack of creative leadership!”

All of us who try to lead know the continual pressures of folks who say “it can’t be done” or “your motives are wrong” or “why not leave well enough alone.” Sometimes leaders feel as thought they are swimming in a sea of negativism and holding up one candle of optimism!

Those of us who know that the Creator created us to create cannot let the negativism of then non-creators stop us. Ultimately, the joy of the finished creation will overwhelm the wounds received from the critics.

The true Christian creator must learn the lesson of the turtle! Progress may be slow but none will ever be made unless you stick your neck out!!

The Bullet of Hearing: The Unopened Love Letters

Elisabeth Barrett Browning was and is one of the greatest poets and authors of all time. She has given us such fantastic and moving lines as …”How do I love thee? Let me count the ways …” “Grief may be joy misunderstood,” etc. Her parents hated her marriage to Robert Browning and severed their relationship with her. She wrote faithfully, letter after letter, assuring them of her love and desire for reconciliation. What magnificent and compassionate words must have flowed from her inspire pen. The flower of language’s greatest expressions were couched and nourished in a heart of suffering love. How did the parents respond?

After writing for ten years, Mrs. Browning received a large package containing all the letters she had ever written. None of them had been opened!!

In thousands of ways our Heavenly Father is seeking to share His magnificent message of powerful love. The curse of mankind is that the majority has refused to receive it.

Check carefully and you’ll see that the most joyous folks on earth are those true Christians of the minority who have and are receiving the message of God. Why not get in on it??

The Bullet of Hearing: Jesus, the Good News

Nothing is more tragic than having someone send you good news and you never receive the message. A friend of mine says that the reason Jesus Christ was called a man of sorrows was that “He had so much joy and couldn’t give it away.”

God has so many fantastic promises and truths to share with His creatures that they are beyond numbering. John 1:12 says, “Christ came unto His own world but the people He created didn’t receive Him. But those who did receive Him were given power to become the children of God.”

The entire meaning and destiny of a person’s life hinges on this one great truth … his willingness to receive … or reject … what God wants to tell him.

It’s regrettable that so few people really seem to stop and think honestly about receiving the real truth concerning Jesus Christ. God has so much to offer the people who will listen.

The Bullet of Choice: Seeking the Right Friends

Christians should love all people and reject no one. But when it comes to choosing close friends we must be discerning.

I’m sure one reason King David was called a man after God’s own heart was his prayer in Psalm 119:63 … “I am a companion of all those who fear Thee, and of those who keep Thy precepts.”

It’s great to fly with the eagles!

9 Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. 10 For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up. 11 Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? 12 And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

The Bullet of Choice: The Best Choice is to Walk with God

At a gift shop years ago, I saw a beautiful plaque with these words engraved … “The Joy of the Journey Depends Upon the One We Choose to Travel the Road with Us.” How true it is! We are free to choose but we are never free from the results of our choices!

A new recruit at a military base, a freshman in the college dorm, a new person on the job, are all seeking affirmation and acceptance. It is a most vulnerable time. Choices are demanded!

Will we chose right people or not? The Word of God states in Proverbs 13:20 … “He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.”

The Bullet of Choice: Who You Associate with Matters

One of England’s greatest Generals, noted for his many victories, once said “the battle is won or lost when I chose my commanders.” This great General recognized the foundational principle of good associates. If he chose weak commanders he would lose. Only if he chose commanders of strength, integrity, courage and vision did his armies have a chance of winning.

Josh McDowell, well-known author, apologist and scholar, has stated that, “it is safe to assume 95% of all the agony, hurt, anguish, disappointments and, and frustrations that come to us are the result of poor choices in our relationships.”

I pastured a church where hundreds of students attended weekly. I constantly reminded those serious about Christ that “they will never get closer to God by choosing as their best friends those who are running from Him!”

A Different Ten Commandments

Some time ago I stumbled across one of the finest little pieces I’ve ever read on positive attitude, spiritual motivation and moral courage. The author is unknown to me, but I’m confident your soul will be lifted even as mine was.

The Gospel Commandments of Leadership

People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered. Love and trust them anyway. “Father, forgive them. They know not what they do” (Luke 23:24).

If you are good, people will accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Do good anyway. And Jesus told them, “You are like children who don’t know what they want. John the Baptist came not eating and drinking, and you said he had a demon. The Son of Man comes eating and drinking, and you say I am a glutton; a friend of sinners” (Matthew 11:16-19).

If you are successful you will win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway. The crowds who cheered Him on Sunday and called Him King and Son of David, were the same who on Friday cried, “Crucify Him.” Even the priests said, “We have no king but Caesar” (Luke 19:36-40; John 10:1-16).

The service you render today will be forgotten tomorrow. Serve people anyway. Where not ten lepers cleansed, and only one returned to give thanks? Where were the other nine? (Luke 17:11-19).

Honesty and frankness will make you vulnerable. Be honest and frank anyway. And Jesus said, “Do not think I’ve come to bring peace to the world. My words will bring division” (Luke 12:51; 13:5).

The biggest men with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men with the smallest ideas. Think big anyway. During the supper the Lord Jesus foretold that one of them would betray Him … the disciples questioned which one it might be and a dispute rose among them of who was the greatest (Luke 22:22-24).

People pretend to love the ‘little’ people, but sell their souls to the ‘big’ people. Fight for the ‘little’ people anyway. “Let little children come unto me for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 19:13).

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway. Judas come, kissed Him, and then they took hold of Him … then all the disciples forsook Him and fled (Matthew 26:36-56).

People really need help, but may attack you if you do help. Help people anyway. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me … to preach … but all who hear Him thrust Him out” (Luke 4:16-30)

Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you have anyway. Pilate said, “Who shall I give unto you … the murderer and robber, Barabbas, or Jesus, who is called the Christ?” And they cried, “Give us Barabbas!” (Matthew 27:15-27).

The Bullet of Contentment: The Secret

The Christian life is a life of fullness and joy. Whenever a person comes to Christ, we don’t demand that he or she give up everything they have. We simply recognize that a New Owner has taken over the management of the life. The vigorous apostle Paul hit the heart of the matter. “Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I find myself in. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.”

The secret of contentment is relatively simple. We must discover that the greater issues of life are not measured by possessions or influence or power. Contentment is realistic satisfaction. I know who I am. I know who my Lord is. And I have the full assurance that “my God shall supply all of my needs according to His riches in glory.” Any beyond that, everything I have is a bonus. Paul understood it and he live out his life to the hilt. And what about you and me? Are we content?

The Bullet of Contentment: What it Means

Contentment. Now that’s an interesting word. But what does it mean to be content? Webster offers his suggestion. To be content is to be happy enough with what one has or is, not desiring something more or different. Have you heard the following story?

There was once a wise, old Quaker who advertised that he would give forty acres of rich farm land to anyone who was perfectly satisfied with what he had. Shortly a seeker came to see the Quaker. “Are thee perfectly satisfied with what thee hast?” The hopeful guest quickly replied, “Oh, yes, I’m perfectly content!” “Then why,” questioned the Quaker, “dost thee want this land?”

Contentment and satisfaction go hand-in-hand. Thomas A. Kempis once said, “Chose rather to want less, than to have more.” But it seems as if our culture and lifestyle demands that we get more and more. When are we satisfied? I’ve heard that there’s a cemetery marker in England with this inscription. “She died for want of things.” Next to the marker was another which read, “He died trying to give them to her.”

The Bullet of Change: Books, the Book and the Spirit – Part 2

In my counseling ministry, I have witnessed that the Spirit of God gives insight into the deep hurts that have caused the trouble, and I have seen Him deliver through cleansing of the heart some who have been bound for years in bitterness.

This is why of all the books I have read, the Bible has been the most help. I believe without a doubt it contains the words of Jesus Christ. He said that, “The words I speak are in Spirit, and they are truth” (John 6).

As a freshman in college I witnessed one of Americas’ great generals giving his last speech in the Congress of the United States after being released from office by the President. General Douglas MacArthur said that, if we are to be saved, “… it must be of the Spirit and not of the flesh.”

Jesus Christ said in Acts 1:8 that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them. In my own life I discovered, and am continually discovering, that I am powerless without the Spirit. Would I be too bold to suggest this might be your problem too?

The Bullet of Change: Books, the Book and the Spirit – Part 1

King Solomon shared a wise word that is beginning to make more sense to me every day:

“My Son, be warned. The making of many books is endless, and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body.” Ecclesiastes 12:12

The number of book published each year is escalating at an amazing pace. If you read a book a month, you’re falling behind man’s accumulation of knowledge at a mind-boggling rate.

Consider the following statistics:

Worldwide, in 1996 there were 808,066 titles published, according to UNESCO's Statistical Yearbook 1998, as cited in The Bowker Library and Trade Almanac. (Research from U C, Berkeley)

The number of books published (in the U.S.) in 2005 is estimated to be close to 200,000, and that includes everything—adult and children's books, professional books and textbooks, paperbacks and hardcovers. (from Publisher’s Weekly)

As a pastor, I saw my own time literally swamped with the reading of books. A large part of my ministry has been in the area of counseling couples who are having troubles in their relationship, and that has necessitated a great deal of study.

Yet in my spirit I am aware of something that I want to share with you. The really important thing is the opening of the human spirit to the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit. He can accomplish in a brief time and with more depth far greater growth than all the reading of the many books can accomplish.

Solomon must have known this so he gave us the warning.

The Bullet of Growth: Learning Takes Time (Part 2)

One more great though from Carey is his statement on patience … “In achieving anything for God He makes us, like the farmer, ‘submit’ to the slow laws of nature.” There is nothing a farmer can do to “speed up the seasons.” He must cooperate with the laws of nature or fail. Clearing the land, breaking up the soil, planting the seed, guarding against pests and weeds and then waiting … waiting … for the soil, the sun and the rain to do their thing in God’s own time is his only choice!

So it is with those of us who seek to be the “spiritual farmers” of God! Something spiritual must be planted in our minds and lives if we expect spiritual fruit in our actions. A man who fills his mind with nothing but business, finance or sports will never have great thoughts or actions for God!

What we plant is what we grow and it takes time. Multitudes of folks wait in vain for something exciting and satisfying to happen to their lives but it never comes!

But, for those of us who plant God’s Truth in our minds it is different. The harvest might seem mysteriously slow but we have no choice but to submit to God’s laws! And why not … they never fail!

The Bullet of Growth: The Right Sized Burdens (Part 1)

“Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God.” These words were part of a sermon William Carey preached before he gave himself to missionary service in India in 1793. Carey is recognized as the key igniter of the modern mission movement and is without question one of “the greats” of the Christian church.

Although he was untrained as a linguist and had no formal education, he taught himself Greek, Hebrew, Bengali, Sanskrit and eight other India dialects! He labored seven long years before he won his first person to Christ. He fought tremendous battles including minimal finances, opposition by the English government, persecution by the native populace, the fatalism of the cast system, the emotional horror of sati (the burning of a man’s widow on his funeral pyre), personal illness that brought him close to death, the mental breakdown and insanity of his wife and the illness and death of his youngest son … to name a few!!

Yet, Carey built one of the greatest works for Christ of any who ever sought to obey our Lord’s Great Commission. “God fits our burdens to our backs” were the words that sustained him!

What a great thought! Those of us who are parents would never deliberately “overload” our children! I would never have insisted, when unloading the car after a vacation, that my young son or daughter carry three suitcases, a hanging bag and four shoe boxes at the same time! Parents fit children’s burdens to their ability.

So it is with the Heavenly Father. He gives us enough burdens to stretch us and grow us but He never overloads us! God has promised that He allows only the burdens we can handle (I Corinthians 10:13)! Wonderful!

The Bullet of Time: Enough Time (Part 2)

The profound truth for all of us to realize is that God has given us all the time we need to do all we were created to do. Twenty-four hours is enough for any man, woman or child. College students often complain to me about how little time they have. The truth is that they have more free time in college then they’ll ever have in their life! The person who says, “I’m behind” or “I don’t have enough time” or "I’m frantically trying to catch up” is admitting he is occupied with areas God never intended him to be concerned with. Jesus Christ had plenty of time to do all the Father sent Him to do. He was never in a hurry. He was always “on schedule.” He never allowed second-rate activities to pull Him away for first-rate priorities. Thomas Fuller said, “Time misspent is not lived but lost!” A person doesn’t “find time” for anything; he must dedicate it.

Time cannot be expanded, accumulated, mortgaged, hastened or retarded. It is the one thing completely beyond man’s control. The only way man can escape enslavement to time is to make time his servant. The God who made time is the only adequate source to this discovery. When Jesus Christ said, “My time is at hand,” He indicated He held the key to the mystery and power of time. I hope you’ll “take time” to check Him out!

Sermon Audio Available

Listen to Dr. McCarty preaching at Fellowship Bible Church, Fort Smith, Arkansas, this past Sunday, July 15, 2007.

Go to www.fellowshipfortsmith.com
Select "Listen to Recent Sermons" from the menu, scroll down the sermon archive page to 7-15-07, Dr. H.D. McCarty. This will launch the player in your web browser window.

Thanks to Pastor Chris Moore for sending us the link to this great sermon.

The Bullet of Time: A Thirty-Hour Day (Part 1)

Someone has well remarked that “busyness” is the great sin of our age! Even those who supposedly have everything don’t have the time to enjoy it! Comments of “I’m too busy,” “I’m too far behind,” “When I find the time,” “This week is too rushed,” etc., seem to be on the increase as never before! The great prayer of our age could easily be … “If I only had more time!”

The greatest lesson God has ever taught me about time came as a result of a phone conversation with another church member. In concluding the call the good lady commented … “Pastor, you’re so busy. You need thirty hours in a day!” I used my most humble voice denying this and mumbled something about all of us needing more time. After hanging up the receiver, however, I leaned back in my chair, meditated on my self-appointed importance, the critical nature of my work and decided that I did need thirty hours a day! I was joyfully meditating on all I was going to accomplish in this “extra” time when the Truth of God, in its usual fashion, blew my mind with a different thought! God’s voice seemed to speak to me saying … “what an oversight on My part! When I created the twenty-four hour day, I didn’t anticipate that H.D. McCarty would come along and need thirty!!” ZAP! BOOM! POW! What a shot!

Then the truth began to dawn. When returning from Israel many years ago I experienced one of those “thirty-hour days.” We flew and flew with the sun, and it never got dark! It took me a week to recover my lost sleep from only one “thirty-hour” day!

Globalization: 17th Century Style
By Ruth Ann Stites

In an article in the May, 2007, National Geographic, “America Found and Lost: Legacy of Jamestown” by Charles C. Mann, the author examines the changes the arrival of settlers had on America and the world. Chronicling the movement of species, called the Columbian exchange, from the old to new world and visa versa, the article provides a new perspective on the changes colonization brought. While looking specifically at Jamestown, a much wider picture emerges, a global one. In one sense, the global economy we live in began with the first European settlements of the 1500 and 1600’s.

One import in particular provides an example of the scope of this globalization – the malaria parasite. The Indians did not understand that there were a vast number of settlers waiting in the old world for a chance of life in the new. They did not understand the forces they faced nor the hidden dangers presented by these people.

… records suggest a substantial fraction – as much as a third – of the immigrants in Virginia before 1640 were from the marshes of southern and eastern England. In the 17th century, these areas were rampant with malaria. It was not unusual for 10 to 20 percent of the marsh population to die in a single year according to Mary Dobson, a medical historian. In contrast to the rest of England, burials outstripped baptisms during much of the 17th and 18th centuries. Little wonder people from these areas wanted to emigrate to the Americas.

Due to its complex lifecycle, the plasmodium parasite moved rapidly from humans to new world mosquitoes. “This type of malaria rarely kills victims directly, but leaves them weak for months until the body gradually fights if off.” This weakening effect, as well as leaving the victims susceptible to other diseases, may very well have sapped the strength and vitality of the Indian efforts to drive out the settlers once the danger they represented to the Indian way of life became clear.

Contemporary reports indicate that malaria was well established as far north as the Massachusetts Bay Colony by 1640. “Since many more early colonists went to Virginia than Massachusetts, malaria could have been stalking the Tidewater there as early as the 1620’s.” The abuse heaped on the settlers of Jamestown – “Strachy was one of many who denounced what he saw as their propensity for ‘sloth, riot, and vanity’” – may have been the result of malaria rather than bad character.

Mann continues his analysis of the impact of malaria,

… we know that malaria spread throughout the East Coast, eventually playing a major part in the pageant of U.S. history. Without malaria, slaves would have been less desirable to southern planters: Most people from tropical Africa are resistant to the plasmodium parasite, the product of millennia of evolution in its presence. The disease became especially endemic in the Carolinas, where it crippled the army of British Gen. Charles Cornwallis during the Revolutionary War. England had by that time drained its marshes and largely been freed of malaria. Meanwhile, the colonists had become seasoned. ‘There was a big imbalance. Cornwallis’s army was simply melting away,’ says J.R. McNeill, an environmental historian at Georgetown University. McNeill takes pains to credit the bravery of the Revolution’s leaders. But a critical role was played by what he wryly refers to as ‘revolutionary mosquitoes.’ Cornwallis surrendered, effectively ending the war, on October 19, 1781.

Consider the results of the introduction of malaria in Virginia: Indian culture was destroyed and the people died or were displaced. An independent and hardy Colonial nation rose out of the early settlements sending the riches of the new world back to the old. Slavery moved populations and cultures from Africa to the Americas. The British Empire lost the Colonies. The world shifted and changed in part because of a single-celled parasite. The commerce between the old and the new worlds sealed the globalization of planet Earth.

There is, of course a spiritual moral to this story: One small change can have huge effects. When a person enters into a living relationship with Jesus Christ, the world shifts – nothing can or will ever be the same again. If countries can rise and fall over a single-celled parasite, how much more can a life lived for Christ change the destiny of those around him or her? May this be our vision for all we touch with Messiah Love. It is a wonderful “infection,” this Messiah Love, and it is our privilege to be carriers of the “Christ Life” to our world. So let’s get out there and “pass it on!”

Neither Dancing nor Weeping, Part 2

They treat God the same way. People say they want Him but find excuses to ignore Him. According to Jesus, the greatest of all the prophets was John the Baptist. He was an ascetic. He wore only a camel’s hair coat. He ate locusts and wild honey. He showed radical commitment to God. He preached the Kingdom. No one could accuse him of hypocrisy, but the people rejected him. Why? Too fanatical!

Jesus came with the exact opposite life style. He was well dressed, enjoyed life, attended their feasts, mixed with sinners. He was God’s Son, perfect. He was the greatest example ever of man in fullness. He came “living it up.” But the people rejected Him. Why? He was a hypocrite – not fanatical enough! He loved sinners and spent time with them.

So there you have it! The greatest of the prophets rejected! The excuse? Too fanatical! The greatest “man” ever to be viewed on earth, Jesus, rejected! The excuse? Too hypocritical! Let’s face it – for those who don’t want to face God’s truth about themselves, “any old excuse will do.”

Jesus ended His comments by saying, “Wisdom is always proven by those who listen to Him and obey His teaching.” Those who excuse themselves from obeying God always end up with “the short stick of life.”

It is obvious to me that the church can’t ever satisfy those who are excuse oriented. If the church asks for money for the poor or for missions, “All we want is money!” If Christians sell all we have and don’t “get ahead” in life, we’re called “impractical!”

Harry Emerson Fosdick once said that “A man may wait to make up his mind, but he can’t wait to make up his life!” You are deciding today, right now, what you are living for. If you are not living under the authority of God today, you are rejecting Him!

Jesus said, “I am the way … without Me you can do nothing.” Will you follow Him? There are only two kinds of people on earth: those who want to do something and find a way and those who always find an excuse.

Neither Dancing nor Weeping, Part 1

May God deliver us from excuses! It seems we always have a “good” reason for why something “bad” happens in our life. I suppose I hate my excuses as much as any other failure of my life. Oh, to be free from them! Emerson once said that, “Excellence is the perfect excuse. Do it well, and it matters not what follows.”

People are masters at giving excuses for ignoring God. Too busy … too young … too old … too tired … too dumb … too intelligent … too rich … too poor … too early … yet they all fall in the same camp … excuses! Alexander Pope said, “An excuse is worse and more terrible than a lie, for an excuse is a guarded lie.”

While on earth, the Lord Jesus commented on the pitiful excuses of men in Luke 7:31-35. Men play games. Nothing satisfies them. They are like children who want to play wedding or funeral but find excuses to play neither.

31 "To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? 32 They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other: 'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not cry.' 33 For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.' 34 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and "sinners. ' 35 But wisdom is proved right by all her children." Luke 7:31-35

“We Hold These Truths…”
By RA Stites, Ventures staff

The booming of the cannon in the 1812 Overture while the fireworks finale showers the sky with brilliant flashes of light provides a sensory extravaganza that epitomizes the celebration of the Forth of July in America. Whether seen from the National Mall with the Washington Monument in the foreground, as in the picture above, or from a lawn chair in a local park, a fireworks display stirs our senses and reminds us of both the joy and the sacrifice inherent in our nation’s freedom.

The men who signed the Declaration of Independence that fateful summer of 1776 promised, “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.” It was a solemn oath the founders of our nation made – they had so much to gain but also everything to lose. That is always the way with freedom; the benefits are enormous but to achieve and preserve them requires total commitment of life, possessions and heart.

The requirements of freedom are the same in the life of nations and in the realm of the spirit. Jesus said, “… If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. … If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:31-36) And in another place when asked the cost of this discipleship he said, “ … If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24). The requirements of freedom are immutable – to possess this treasure fully requires a complete commitment to possessing it.

We, at Ventures for Christ, wish you peace and freedom this Independence Day, but, most of all, that you know the inexpressible joy of picking up your cross and following the Master.

Check This Out:
Visit the Ventures for Christ website for an outline of Dr. McCarty’s inspirational message, “The Biblical Patriot.”

The Bullet of Response: Following the Perfect Example

Our Perfect Master goes on to say in John 12:25 that “they hated Me without cause.” Sometimes, for no reason in us, people will criticize us, hate us, and make no attempt to understand us. No one can build a barrier strong enough to protect himself from the self-centered attacks of other members of the human race. Even Jesus didn’t!!

But take heart! God does not judge us by the accusations directed at us but by the responses that proceed from us.

We are not responsible for controlling others, but we are responsible for controlling ourselves. Hatred, criticism and misunderstanding are bound to come, but we’d better be careful that they don’t come from us.

When we’re tempted to misunderstand someone, or others seek to draw us into a “criticism session,” our “God response” should be as follows: “I’m sorry but I don’t understand enough about that person or the situation to comment.”

Responses like that were why the Father was well pleased with the Son. Even though Jesus Christ understood everything about His mission, the people and His situation before Pilate, He still kept His mouth shut!

Let us not be so foolish as to miss the enormity of such an example!

The Bullet of Response: Love Back

All of us deserve most of the criticism that comes our way. None of us can fully keep from being misunderstood. We all want to be loved, and we are hurt (or at least bothered) when folks hate us. What can we do about it?

We can fight back or love back. We can do “our thing” or “His thing.” We can do what most do or what He did. It’s either the “human response” or the “God response.”

A person who says, “I am a Christian,” should give evidence that his “human responses” are decreasing and his “God responses” are increasing. Otherwise his faith is suspect.

The Lord Christ told us that “a slave is no grater than his master. If ‘they’ persecuted Me, ‘they’ will also persecute you” (John 15:20). The word “they” doesn’t refer just to unbelievers, “pagans,” Pharisees, immoral persons, etc. – it refers to anyone who doesn’t love, even a Christian!

The Bullet of Reaction: You Have a Choice

In this life … and on this earth … we will never escape criticism, misunderstanding and hate. If a person can’t learn to deal with this kind of conflict then joy, purpose and peace will forever elude him.

The “sons and daughters of Adam” have only two options in reacting to hate and criticism: the “human resources” option or the “God response” option. All of us have tried (and still try) the “human response” option. It expresses itself in one of four ways: 1) defending self, 2) blaming others, 3) inner bitterness or 4) giving up! Each is a path to futility and despair.

The “God response” is only possible to those of us who have a measure of God’s Spirit by being His “born again” ones. It’s a pity we avail ourselves of this power so infrequently. When we practice the “God response,” we don’t get bitter, defend ourselves, blame others or give up; instead we chose to give thanks that an opportunity to express conquering Messiah Love has been presented.

The Bullet of Persistence: Even Perfection Is Not Enough

I was impressed recently in reading the Gospel of Matthew at how a perfect man, Jesus Christ, was constantly put down by the human race which He had created.

In Chapter 8 they begged Him to get out of their country and leave them alone. He had healed a man and upset their “business as usual” attitude.

In Chapter 9 He made a statement about what God had told Him to do and they laughed at Him.

In Chapter 11 they called Him a gluttonous man and a drunkard and part of the sinner’s crowd.

In Chapter 12 they plotted together how they could raise up against Him and destroy Him.

In Chapter 13 they said, “This is no one special. We know His brothers and sisters. He is the carpenter and Mary’s son and He is no different from us.” Scriptures say that “they took offense at Him.”

In Chapter 15 even the religious leaders are upset at what Jesus said.

That all the above was thrown at the Son of God is unbelievable, yet encouraging. Unbelievable that the perfect Son of God should be so treated. Encouraging that all who seek to follow Christ can expect the same.

As Christians we only have three choices about our response to God and others … give up … be perfect … or keep on keeping on. No one who takes Jesus seriously and who is really concerned about Truth can give up. None of us will become perfect overnight, or in fifty or sixty years for that matter, so the only option is to keep going and strive to appropriate the grace of God as rapidly as possible. There is no other way. Even being perfect won’t help … if our Lord’s example is taken seriously!

The Answer is ... Turn!

Is more knowledge the answer to man’s quest for peace, pardon, power and purpose? Decidedly not!

Giving people with spiritual vacuums just another fact or two is like rowing out and giving a drowning man one more drink of water (one of my favorite saying). People need more than facts … they need love and the assurance their lives are in harmony with reality. Only God … the AUTHOR of reality … can give that!

Incredible. Seventy-five percent of all the information available to mankind has been developed within the last two decades (20 years). Millions of pieces of information are created daily. The total amount is doubling every ten years. With seventy-two billion new pieces of information arriving yearly, how do you cope with it all? How do you gather it, edit it, disseminate it, store it and retrieve it?

Daniel 12:4 … But thou, Oh Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book even to the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and KNOWLEDGE SHALL BE INCREASED.

The prophet Daniel indicated that one of the signs preceding the return of Christ to earth would be a vast knowledge explosion (“run to and fro” speaks of increased travel). Both are literally being fulfilled in our day!

Some people cry, LEARN … this is our salvation! But, although knowledge is part of our uniqueness as humans, learning itself is inadequate to quench man’s earnest spiritual thirst.

Some say BURN … tear everything down. Destroy the system. Get mad. To you know where with everything but me and what I want! Still it’s not enough!

Some say EARN … make money and it will buy you all you really seek. Nonsense! Many of the rich are the most miserable specimens of humanity. Many more waste their lives seeking riches. It’s a delusion.

The Bible says TURN … give up on your own wisdom, goals and way of doing things and let God in Jesus Christ take control of your life. Thousands of folks who had tried everything else say this is what worked … and works … for them.

Have you really turned your life from futility to reality? Why no experiment with a Christ-directed life?

This same prophet, Daniel, was really in despair and trembling about the world situation in the 6th century B.C. Everything was confusion and uncertain. But, though the world blew up around him, he found the peace that passes understanding by turning.

When we turn, God comes to us in a new way. He always answers a seeking heart. Don’t be afraid Daniel, for from the first day you set your heat to understand and humbled yourself before your God your words were heard and I have come because of your words (Daniel 10:12).

Exciting isn’t it? Why not try it?

The Bullet of Assurance: Lion Power

See if you remember this: back in the sixties one of American’s larges oil companies captured the imagination of the country with the slogan, “Put a Tiger in Your Tank.” Even if you don’t a tiger in your tank is a powerful image.

The idea was that using their gasoline would unleash the strength of a tiger in your engine! Of course, gas is gas, but some of us could just “feel” that tiger in there and we bought it by the gallons.

Amazingly enough the Bible has exactly the same idea around 930 B.C. when King Solomon wrote in Proverbs 28:1 … “The righteous are as bold as a lion.” Or, to put it another way, those who live by God’s standards have lion power!

Boldness and zest for life come from being confident and assured about one’s source. To be right is to be strong! So it has always been. So it will ever be.

The Bible gives one of Jesus’ names as “The Lion of Judah.” No mistake I’m sure for the greatest person who ever walked the earth! Strength has authority!

Those of us who have received Christ as Savior … not just had a mental belief in His existence … have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit. God puts His power in those who believe and obey (John 1:12 Acts 1:8 and 5:32). He does what no gasoline pump could ever do.

Therefore, the true Christian’s main task is learning how to progressively “let the Lion out” which he or she has inside. A joyful burden, to say the least!

In my own pilgrimage of following the Master I am gradually learning that His strength in me is greater than any force or problem against me (I John 4:4).

Sure, even the strongest of us falter and fail, despair and limp. But even the limping Lion has nothing to fear from the barking Chihuahuas!

Believe me, even life’s most difficult agonies are only Chihuahuas in comparison to God’s Lion in us … no matter how loud the bark!

Have you let God put “His Lion” in your life?

The Bullet of Relationship: The Right Place for Enthusiasm

My dictionary says that a fan is an enthusiastic devotee of any sport or diversion. But a fanatic is possessed by unreasonable enthusiasm, intemperate zeal or displays extravagant loyalty or frenzy. Finding the lines between a fan or a fanatic seems to be the lone privilege of only the anti or moderate religionist! I suppose any cause will always have followers in the frenzy category. But why is it that only those enthusiastic about Jesus earn the most frequent title of fanatic?

I’m sure I’m in the top ten percent of those who love the Razorbacks. I mean really love them as people. I have worked with hundreds of them over the years far beyond the superficial “hello” and “good game guys.” I hurt when we lose, but I consider myself a sane fan and not a fanatic.

There are others, however, who drive their motor homes to Fayetteville on Thursday to “get ready” for Saturday’s game! Coordinated and sometimes expensive “red outfits” cover wife and husband head to toe! Brown bags and hip flasks abound so as to add to the “spirit of the hour.” Both sides of the stadium strive to out-yell one another as leaders from the field jump and wave their arms as frenetically as possible. Spontaneous “boos” come forth from the mouths of the fans when an official errs from the truth (i.e., he made a stupid call – against us!) As regular as clock work some fan appoints himself the “preacher” of his section and rises at appropriate moments of prophetic need to scream some well-chosen expletives at our opponents or the officials. Finally, many in the congregation, excuse me, crowd, leave the game in anguish of soul over the trauma of loss.

Of course, these folk are simply athletic fans. A different breed than fanatics of the Jesus sort! We Christian fanatics seem to believe that God is more important than games! People are more important than pleasure! Love is more important than looks. Giving is more important than getting. Caring is more important than criticizing. God-enthusiasm is more important than anything else.

The law of the land seems to imply that it’s okay to be immoderately excited about the secondary (sports or whatever), but you are emotionally dysfunctional to be highly excited about what’s primary (God)! Funny world, isn’t it! This article may label me as a fanatic to some. If so, then I joyfully plead guilty. Let’s get excited about what is really significant and fantastic … Jesus Christ, the Lord!

The Bullet of Relationship: Don’t be Religious

In the past some people have referred to me and the church I pastored as religious fanatics! Me, of all people, a religious fanatic! Never!

First of all, I “hate” religion! Nothing is more boring, wasteful, misleading and deceptive than religion. The religions of man are the curse of the earth! Even the magnificent and liberating message of Jesus Christ has been corrupted and infected by religion and the religious. Religion exalts labels, traditions, forms and rules above the spirit of love, truth, joy and forgiveness! The former are necessary to the balanced life but without the latter they become the tools of enslavement!

But secondly, even though religion repels me, I am ecstatic about my personal relationship with the Father through His Son. I find loving God a most peaceful, settling, strengthening and satisfying experience. Besides, it is highly motivating and packed with wisdom. I am, to be honest, rather enthusiastic about it all! If the above confession makes me a candidate for fanaticism, then I’m fuel for the fire!

Simple Gifts (Part 2)

Few can “make the world go away” by retreating to the lake or other vacation destination. But you can find the ordering, simplifying presence of God for each hectic day. The moments you spend alone with God in prayer at the first of the day are doubtless your most productive. Then and there He sets the pace for a day of fruitful living. The pressures don’t relent. But neither does His continuing presence.

The great Apostle Paul appealed to the Corinthians in these words … “I am afraid that just as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds should be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.”

All of us hunger for peace, simplicity and joy that only Christ can give. There is no stress that God cannot relieve. Why not give Him a chance in your life and experiment with His promises?

Simple Gifts (Part 1)

Do you remember this stanza from the classic Shaker song, Simple Gifts? The haunting melody and evocative words remind us that busyness and stress are not supposed to be our daily experience.

'Tis the gift to be simple, 'Tis the gift to be free,
'Tis the gift to come down where you ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.

Simplicity! Oh, what a wonderful word! I hope the following will aid us somewhat in our desire to be free from life’s undue pressures and complications! My thanks to two of my pastor friends for helping me put it together!

A Louisville policeman was late for work one day and was told to write out his excuse, which had better be a good one. His report read: “Due to strenuous exertion of psychophysical facilities, I experienced no revivification from my comatose condition by external stimuli.” When asked if heaven’s name that meant, he replied, “My alarm clock didn’t wake me!”

Simplifying always helps.

For instance, my hat is off to the Wall Street Journal for this assistance. What’s the difference between a “million” and a “billion”? Will, if you spent $1,000 a day it would take you two years and nine months to spend one million. But at $1,000 per day, 2,739 years to exhaust one billion.

Life itself needs simplifying.

The Escort

The following story was passed along to me recently. The respect it shows toward our troops is deeply moving. It is important to remember and honor those who have died for our country. Their sacrifice gives us the freedom we enjoy to live the American dream … to build a new order for the ages. We must make this vision of our Founding Fathers our own!

Last week, while traveling to Chicago on business, I noticed a Marine sergeant traveling with a folded flag, but did not put two and two together. After we boarded our flight, I turned to the sergeant, who’s been invited to sit in First Class (across from me), and inquired if he was heading home.

“No, sir,” he responded.
“
Heading out,” I asked?

“No, sir. I’m escorting a soldier home.”

“Going to pick him up?”

“No, sir. He is with me right now. He was killed in Iraq. I’m taking him home to his family.”

The realization of what he had been asked to do hit me like a punch to the gut. It was an honor for him. He told me that, although he didn’t know the soldier, he had delivered the news of his passing to the soldier’s family and felt as if he knew them after many conversations in so few days. I turned back to him, extended my hand, and said, “Thank you. Thank you for doing what you do so my family and I can do what we do.”

Upon landing in Chicago the pilot stopped short of the gate and made the following announcement over the intercom.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to note that we have had the honor of having Sergeant Steeley of the United States Marine Corps join us on this flight. He is escorting a fallen comrade back home to his family. I ask that you please remain in your seats when we open the forward door to allow Sergeant Steeley to deplane and receive his fellow soldier. We will then turn off the seat belt sign.”

Without a sound, all went as requested. I noticed the sergeant saluting the casket as it was brought off the plane, and his action made me realize that I am proud and grateful to be an American.

When I read the above story tears come to my eyes. Even after conducting many military funerals as an Air Force chaplain I am not ashamed to confess my tears for their service … especially for those who have died in action. We owe them a great deal … not just for what they have done … but also the debt to live more deeply for the cause for which they died!

So here is another personal and public Thank You to our military Men and Women for what you do … so we can live the way we do. It will be my privilege to salute them in person this Memorial Day, May 28th, when I am the keynote speaker at the Fayetteville National Cemetery memorial ceremony. The program begins at 10 A.M. at the Fayetteville National Cemetery flag pole area, 700 Government Avenue. Everyone is invited to attend.

In Memory: The USS New York

“Never Forget” is the motto one of the U.S. Navy’s newest vessels, the USS New York. The ship, built in New Orleans, is one of three to honor those who died in the September 11 terrorist attack. The other two are the “…USS Arlington — named after the section of the Pentagon that was also hit by an airliner on September 11 — and USS Somerset, in memory of United Flight 93, which crashed in a field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, on the same day as passengers struggled with al-Qaeda hijackers.” (Times Online, May 22, 2006)

Due to be commissioned this year (2007), the USS New York is an amphibious transport ship designed to land combat-ready Marines on any coastline with or without a port. These ships can also deliver relief aid, as her sister ship, the USS Boxer, did in the wake of hurricane Katrina.

The USS New York is already a monument to two disasters. First, her bow section was cast from scrap steel from the World Trade Center. The casting of the bow section from this scrap metal was an emotional moment for the foundry workers. Navy Captain Kevin Wensing recalls the pour thus, “… those big rough steelworkers treated it with total reverence. It was a spiritual moment for everybody there.” Junior Chavers, foundry operations manager, recalled that the “hair on my neck stood up” when he first touched the steel. He said, “It has a big meaning to it for all of us. They knocked us down. They can’t keep us down. We’re going to be back.” The USS New York is a new weapon in the war against terror, one well fitted for her mission.

Second, the half-completed New York came through hurricane Katrina in tact. While the city around her came apart the ship faced the elements and stood firm. The crews who worked on her came back and took up the task of her completion as soon as possible. The workmen treat the ship with reverence, making a point to touch the bow when passing. This is in response to the meaning of the metal in her construction but in a wider sense, the respect shown the USS New York is a symbol of the hope, courage, determination and spirit of the American people – to build a warship from the ruins of a great defeat or to rebuild a ravaged city.

Americans have excelled at turning defeat into victory, of recovering from disaster and of starting over … again and again and again! This quality is one of the great secrets to our nation’s greatness. If there is anything totally admirable in the patriotic spirit of our country it is this “never give up … we can make it better” attitude. The USS New York is tangible proof that, as Mr. Chevers said, “They can’t keep us down. We’re going to be back.”

This is exactly the foundational faith of our Biblical vision of Jesus Christ. No matter what happens … even death … we can say with our resurrected Leader … “I will rise again!”

Check out the following websites for more on the USS New York: Snopes.Com, Times Online news story, Navy website.

The Bullet of Difference: Love One Another

The mature Christian realizes that every other person who is “born again” is a permanent member of God’s family. Regardless of human differences, doctrinal emphasis or mental limitations, our joyful duty is to love them as they are where they are! In fact, just like our Blessed Master has loved us!

Are we greater than Jesus (John 13:15-17)? No! Then let’s quit acting as if we are! Think of “how different” He is from us yet He loves us unconditionally! Only the Christian who is immature, arrogantly prideful or a fool can set aside the Savior’s specific request and commandment in John 15:12 … “This is My commandment, that you love one another, Just as I have love you!” That’s a heap of love!!

We must follow our Leader and Lord in becoming experts at loving imperfect people! (That includes learning to love ourselves!) It saddens me to see a Fundamentalist Christian attack another because of doctrinal imperfections. It greaves me to see the Liberal Christian mock a more ignorant yet sincere brother. It wounds me to see the Charismatic Christian pridefully belittle others because they suppose they have “experienced less!” It’s all a drama of babies pretending to be giants.

Paul said “when I became a man I put away childish things … the greatest of all is love” (I Corinthians 13:11b, 13b). Of course everyone seems to have “their idea” of how to love. Here is where we must give up our own view of love, hush our ignorant mouths and diligently follow Christ’s example in the power of the Holy Spirit. We must be students of the Scripture if we are to possess the Mind of Christ! The Lord knows who is faking it, so do others, and deep down so do we, if we are honest about truth!

The world may divide Christians by personalities, by denominations, by culture or by doctrines but it is not so with the Father! From Heaven’s point of view there are only two classes of Christians. Those who love one another and those who don’t! I pray you and I are numbered among those who know the difference.