The Weekend Sermon -- "Bruised Reeds and Smoldering Wicks"

      Thanks for reading the message this week. I hope that everyone has had a great week. I want to thank the Lord for giving me the opportunity to post the message this week. 

     Since we finished our series on the book of Philippians, I've been having topical messages for the last couple of weeks, and that is what I am going to do today. When I was listening to something on the radio this week, the verses that I am going to be posting about today were brought up. I was really touched by these verses in a way that I haven't been before.

     Isaiah chapter 42 gives a description of the ministry of the coming Messiah. In verse 3 Isaiah writes, "A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not put out." 

     One of the things that you should note is that Matthew in his Gospel likes to show us and tell us how Jesus fulfilled in His ministry the Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament. In Matthew 12, we are told that Jesus fulfilled this particular prophecy when He healed the sick from the large crowd that was following Him and listening to His teachings. 

     This week, I was thinking about the significance of a bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not put out. A bruised reed is a reed that is about to die out. Some would just go ahead and break it off and put it to an end. A smoldering wick is just barely putting out smoke. It isn't lighting up anything, it is just stinking the place up. It would be normal to just put it all the way out and total extinguish the little bit of fire that was remaining. 

     What does this mean for us as people? There are a lot of people who are hurt in this world. They are bruised reeds. Life has dealt them a bad hand. They have had one bad thing after another happen to them, and they are barely hanging on. These are the people that Jesus helped so much during His ministry here on this earth. He cared about the ones that other people had given up on and didn't really care about in the first place. He healed the sick and ministered to the least of those among us. He didn't turn anyone away from His love and His kindness. He was always there to help everyone, even those about ready to give up. 

     There are many people today who are struggling and having a hard time. Jesus is there to be with you and help you. He loves you and He cares about you. Turn to Him in every hour of difficulty. Seek His comfort and His help. He wants to help you in every way.

     Now, a smoldering wick He will not put out speaks to me not of the physical life and its battles but of the spiritual life. There are people who where once really on fire for the Lord. There whole life was about serving Jesus and living a holy life that is pleasing to Him. However, they have cooled way down in their fervor for serving the Lord. They may have fallen so far into sin and selfishness that there isn't much spiritual life left within them. Jesus wants to help. He is not there to condemn. 

     If you feel that you are about to burn out spiritually, tell Jesus. Ask Him to renew His presence in your life. He has not given up on you. He knows that you can get back on track again, and He is there to help you.

    This needs to be how we feel about people in our lives. Let us not give up on people. Let us help those who are knocked down by life in so many ways. Let us help those who are in a spiritually bad place to get back on track with the Lord. Let all of us help bring healing and wholeness to the world for all just like Jesus did and does. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

     I am having a really hard time healthwise again. The arthritis in my hand is really severe right now, and I am having other issues as well. Please be in prayer. Thank you. 

    I want to thank the Lord that the remaining hostages have been freed. Aid is coming into Gaza, and there is a ceasefire. Let us be thankful, and let us pray that peace will hold in that part of the world. 

    Let us continue to pray for peace in Ukraine and Sudan. Let us pray for Haiti as well. 

    Please pray for those in Alaska who were affected by the typhoon remnants. Pray that they will get the aid that they need. 

    For our prayer focus countries this week let us pray for those in the nations of Suriname and Mauritius. Pray that many will come to know Jesus and His love and forgiveness. 

    Next week, I will post another topical message. I will post the verses on Tuesday, and the book about Toby chapter on Wednesday. May God bless you all. 

     

Toby -- The Story of My Friend -- Chapter 7

 Chapter 7

     If you know anything about Welsh Corgis, you are already aware that they were originally bred by the ancient Celtic inhabitants of Wales to nip at the heels of cattle and sheep as they were being driven to market or from one field to another.  Because of this inbred ability, many corgis have retained the herding instinct to this present day.  Some corgis even win various herding titles awarded by the American Kennel Club and other organizations.
     Toby definitely had the ancient blood of his corgi ancestors running through his veins .  He had a strong desire to herd.  Mostly, he wanted to herd me.  I always told everyone that he must have thought that I looked like a sheep.
     Toby wasn't a traditional herder.  He never tried to nip at my heels.  His method of pointing me in the proper direction was to grab hold of my pant or pajama leg then pull and let go.  Sometimes, he would just grab and release.
     One never knew when the old herding instinct would kick in.  At anytime, anyone in the family, but mostly me, could be mistaken for a white, woolly creature.
     What was really funny is when Toby would herd me places my parents wanted me to go.  For instance, if I was in my room and my Mom called that dinner was ready, Toby would make sure that I made it to the dinner table quickly.  I think that he was just as excited about dinner as I was because he might get some left over goody.
     Toby also liked to evoke his herding talents when the phone rang, and I was at the opposite end of the house.  When the phone rang, I'd head for the phone with Toby nipping my pant leg in an effort to speed my arrival.  It actually slowed me down.  He didn't know that, or at least he didn't care.  He wanted some excitement out of even the most mundane and trivial event.
     Toby also loved to herd the vacuum cleaner.  Whenever I got out the vacuum, Toby would wait until it started and then he would bounce over and bite at the end of it as I made it go back and forth across the carpet.  He would hop at it, dart away then return for another quick bite.  This made vacuuming quite difficulty, but it was also a lot of fun.
     While not necessarily a herding behavior, Toby also exhibiting the behavior of grabbing my pant leg and trying to pull me back inside the door when I was going out.  He didn't want me to leave.  The only reason that I could come up with for this behavior was that it was part of the herding instinct to keep his charge from straying.
     One other crazy herding type behavior Toby possessed manifested whenever I would bring the groceries in from the car.  I would try to bring in the groceries, and Toby was just crazy barking and herding me along.  He would jump up and try to get the grocery bags out of my hand.  Once he succeeded.  He got hold of the bag and ripped that sucker wide open.  The bread fell out, and Toby grabbed the bread and went running with it through the house.  Before I could get the bread, Toby shook and shook the package sending slices of bread flying throughout the living room.  I don't know what got into him.  My bringing in the groceries was a really big deal to him for some reason.  He wanted to know what was in those sacks.
     Another cute action of Toby's was his desire to follow me everywhere I went and never let me out of his sight.  My Mom always said that Toby wasn't happy if I wasn't at home for him to keep his eye on me.  We had a really close relationship.  In some ways, we were like brothers, and we both missed each other on the very few occasions when we were apart.
     If I was on the couch watching TV, Toby would always be right next to me.  If I got up, even for just a minute, he came along.
     He always had to be by me.  If I was working in my office or sitting at the kitchen table, he would be there.  When I started working from home all day, Toby stayed in the office for hours.  When he was old, he slept so soundly that sometimes he wouldn't notice when I left for some other part of the house.  I didn't want to wake him up, so I just let him sleep.  It wouldn't be long before he'd be up looking for me.
    As Toby grew older, He also made it known that he wasn't very happy if anyone else got too close to me.  If anyone, including my parents, tried to approach me, Toby would growl until I told him that it was OK.  I was under his complete protection.  I just want to state that Toby wasn't mean.  He never hurt anyone.  He just always looked out for me.  I always felt safe when he was with me.
     These incidents point to the fact that Toby was a fine herder with good instincts.  More importantly, it is another demonstration of the fun and good times we had together and the love we shared.

Verses For The Week

 Matthew 6:10 -- "Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

I Peter 2:15 -- "For such is the will of God, that by doing right you silence the ignorance of foolish people."

Weekend Sermon -- "Be Like Him"

      Thank you for taking the time to once again stop by to read the message for the week. I am glad to report that I am feeling quite a bit better, so thank you for your prayers. I hope that all of you are doing very well. I also want to thank the Lord for giving me the opportunity to post this message. 

     Today, I want to bring a message centered on two passages. The first is Ephesians 5:1-2 that states, "Do as God does. After all, you are His dear children. Let love be your guide. Christ loved us and offered His life for us as a sacrifice that is pleasing to God. The second passage is from I John 4:8 that reads, "God is love, and anyone who doesn't love others has never known Him."

     I've entitled the message for today, be like Him. That is what our verse from Ephesians is telling us to do. Those who have come to know the Father through His Son the Lord Jesus Christ are called to be like Him. Jesus is God come in the flesh. Jesus said that if you have seen me you have seen the Father. So, when the Bible says, as it does here, that we are to do as God does, we are to look to Jesus. We are to see what He did, and we are to do it. 

     One translation puts it a little bit differently. It says that we are to be imitators of God. We are to be imitators of Jesus. That is what it means to be a Christian. We look to Jesus. We see how he lived and what He did. We are to follow His teachings and commandments and be like Him in the world. 

     Now, how do we do as God does, or do as Jesus would do in this world? The answer is in both of our passages for today. We are to live in love. We are to love others, and we are to express the love of the Lord in thought, word and deed. Jesus said that we are to love our neighbors as ourselves. 

     The Father demonstrated His love for us by sending His Son to be the sacrifice for our sins. Jesus loved us and gave Himself for us. His love moved Him to make the ultimate sacrifice in order that we might be redeemed. 

     Jesus lived a life of love and demonstrated love throughout His time of ministry on this earth. He cared about people. He healed them and helped them. He taught us to love others by living lives of non-violence and service to others. Jesus loved everyone including those that the religious people of His day tried to exclude. Jesus was and is the man of love. 

     We are to be like Him. We are to be people who love God and love others. We are to be the ones out spreading love and goodness in this world in the same way that Jesus did. That means doing good to the least of those among us as Jesus taught. That means helping this world to be a better place. Being a person of love means telling others about Jesus. It means speaking words that heal and not words that hurt and tear down. Loving others as Jesus loved means lifting people up and helping them be all that they can be for His honor and glory. 

     Sadly, so much of what people see among those who say they are Christians are unloving and hateful things. Hateful and mean words and actions toward other races and ethnic groups. Cruelty towards the poor and the homeless. Violence and warlike attitudes. These things aren't in keeping with being like God revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. 

     If you want to know how to be what God wants you to be, look at Jesus. When you want to know how to act or behave in any situation, ask what Jesus did or what He would do in that circumstance or if facing that issue. If Jesus would do it, that is what we should do. If He wouldn't act in that way, then neither should we. At all times, let us live in love and follow the path of love set before us by God come in the flesh the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

     As I mentioned, I am feeling better. Please keep praying that I can find a better job. Thank you.

     Continue to pray for peace. Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, Sudan and Myanmar all need peace. 

 We need to pray that those affected by natural disasters will get the aid and the help that they need. 

      For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in the nations of Chad and Laos. Pray that many will come to know Jesus. 

     Next week, I will post another topical message. I may do that for a few weeks and wait to start a new series after the first of the year. However, I am still undecided. I will post the verses on Tuesday, and the next chapter of the Toby book on Wednesday. May God bless you all. 

"Toby -- The Story of My Friend -- Chapter 6

 Chapter 6

     One unpleasant activity that Toby and I both hated was dodging tornadoes.  We lived right in the heart of tornado alley, so every spring there was a constant stream of severe thunderstorm warnings and tornado warnings.
     The house we lived in didn't have a basement, so my parents purchased a small, metal storm shelter that was supposed to hold four people.  It was creepy.  When I was in that thing, I felt like I was is some sort of a coffin.
     My Mom was so afraid of tornadoes that she would have us go down into the storm shelter all the time.  I couldn't stand being down in that shelter, so I would wait in the house or I'd stay out and see if the storm was coming.  I tried to put Toby down in the shelter in advance, but he hated it too.  He would try to climb the ladder and get out of there to find out where I was.  Usually, we just waited it out together.  There was one time, when the two of us were together while I was doing school at home when we almost waited too long.
     There had been a tornado watch issued early in the morning, which is rather rare, so we were expecting bad weather.  My Mom kept calling me about every five minutes from her work to see if any storms were coming.  I wasn't too worried about the weather, so I wasn't really paying too much attention.
     At about 11:00am, the tornado siren went off in town.  Toby went crazy barking, and I jumped up from behind my desk and went to find out what was happening.  The National Weather Service had issued a tornado warning for my county.
     I picked up Toby, and the two of us headed for the storm shelter.  When we got outside, I really didn't see much.  I decided to wait with Toby above ground and see what happened.  The two of us walked around to see if we could spot anything in the distance.  It wasn't even raining.
     We were across the yard from the shelter when almost immediately the entire sky turned green.  The two of us ran as fast as we could to the storm shelter.  I opened it up just as the rain started to absolutely pour down.  I picked Toby up and made my way down the ladder into the shelter pulling the door shut behind me.
     Just as I pulled the door shut, the hail started.  From the sound of the pounding on the shelter door, I could tell that the hail was huge.  Toby and I went to the far end of the shelter and huddled there together.  We could hear the wind picking up and it was roaring like a furnace.
     I was scared, but Toby was never afraid of anything.  He was growling at the hail, wind, thunder and lightning.  Holding on to him, I wasn't afraid anymore.  We waited down in the storm shelter for about thirty minutes.  After that time, curiosity got the better of me, so I decided to stick my head out and see if it was clear.
     When I emerged, the sun was already back out.  It didn't reveal a pleasant site.  I picked up Toby and went up the ladder out of the shelter.  We had missed the tornado.  That tornado went just north of us through farm fields.  However, the hail and the wind caused a lot of damage.  Two of our air conditioning units were pounded to bits.  Our garden was totally ruined.  All of the tomatoes were destroyed.  Also, one of our apple trees and one of the pear trees in the orchard were uprooted.  In town, several trees were uprooted and the siding was blown off one of the businesses.
     The major damage was to the agricultural interests.  All of the corn in the surrounding area was destroyed.  The large hail stripped all of the ears right off of the stalks.
     I sat with Toby on the back steps, and I just held on to him.  I was glad we made it to the shelter, and that we were together.
     That's the closest I've ever come to a tornado in the state of Kansas.  The closest I ever came to a tornado was in the state of Wyoming when we were out visiting my grandparents.  I watched that tornado absolutely destroy the Buffalo Ridge section of Cheyenne.
     No matter what the storm, I was glad that Toby was around.  Like I said, he was never afraid of anything.  When he wasn't afraid, it helped me not to be afraid.

Verses For The Week

Matthew 23:11 -- "The greatest among you will be your servant."

Romans 12:10 -- "Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves"

Weekend Sermon -- "Animals And Pets In Heaven"

      Thank you for once again reading the message for the week. I hope you all are doing great. I am doing fairly well. I thank the Lord for giving me the opportunity to post this message. 

     Last week, we finished up our series on the book of Philippians. I hope that everyone learned at least a little something from that series. This week and next week, I am going to post messages on topics. After that, we are going to start a new series of messages that I hope will be of benefit to you.

     October 4, which is right around the corner, is the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi. On that day, many churches have a blessing of the animals service. I find these to be very meaningful and important to those whose pets are of great importance to them.

     Those who have had special animal friends in their lives like I had my friend Toby, want to know if they will be reunited with their pets some day in Heaven. I have been concerned about this for many years, and I've researched a lot about it. In my research and study of the Scripture, I have come to the conclusion that we who are in Christ will definitely see our animal friends when we die. 

     First of all, let us look at Romans 8:21-22. Here, Paul makes it clear that all of creation will be set free from the bondage and decay that beset it through the fall of Adam. All creation includes all of the animals that were created by God. All of them suffered as a result of sin. In order for them to benefit from the redemption of the created order through Jesus Christ, they would have to be able to enjoy the fruits of that redemption which can only occur if they are brought back to life. 

     John Wesley, whom I admire greatly, wrote about this in a sermon called "The General Deliverance." He believed that in the world to come, the Lord would restore all things. Everything would be restored to the way that it existed in the Garden of Eden. Those animals who suffered as a result of the first Adam's sin would benefit in the restoration of all things under the Last or Second Adam the Lord Jesus Christ. 

     Jesus is called the Last Adam by the Apostle Paul in I Corinthians 15. He talks about how Adam became a living being, but Christ is a life-giving spirit. In Romans 5, Paul talks about how sin and death came as a result of the first Adam, but the work of the Second Adam, Jesus, will ultimately undo all of what the first Adam's sin did in the world. The first Adam failed, the Second Adam redeems all. 

    What does this mean about animals and pets in the afterlife? The Bible says in Acts 3:21 that Jesus will remain in Heaven until the time comes for the restoration of all things. This means that one day, Jesus will come and make all right again. The creation will be delivered from all its trouble. Everything will be restored to its Edenic state. As the Bible says, the lion will lie down by the lamb. 

     What I have just laid out for you is one of the main Scriptural reasons that I believe that we will see our pets again when we die. Jesus' through His death, resurrection and return sets everything back right. And all creatures that suffered as a result of sin will benefit from the restoration of all things. That from what I can determine, includes our pets. 

     Now, there is another reason that I believe we will see our pets again in the world to come. Jesus Himself is the reason. Jesus when He lived on earth was kind, loving and compassionate. Jesus knows what our pets have meant to us. I believe He was the one who brought Toby and me together. Knowing Jesus, I believe that He will want His followers to experience the maximum level of joy. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. He knows what we need, and He will make it so. 

     I firmly and unequivocally believe that I will see my friend Toby again in Heaven. No one will ever convince me otherwise. I know this too. Jesus will come again and make everything right just as it was when it was first created. If we put our faith and trust in Him, we can be part of all that He is making new. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

     Please continue to pray in regard to my health. Unfortunately, I have had a small relapse of arthritis. Please keep praying, I appreciate it. 

     Pray for peace in the world. Pray for peace in Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, Yemen and Sudan. 

     Please pray for an end to the ebola virus in Africa and pray that the measles outbreak still in some states in the US will end. 

     For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in the nations of Tunisia and Azerbaijan. Pray that many will come to know Jesus. 

     Next week, I will post the verses on Tuesday and the next chapter of the book on Wednesday. I will post a topical message on Friday. May God bless you all.