Worry or Trust

For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me. I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came. (Job 3:25-26)

Most everyone is familiar with the story of the book of Job. The expression, “He has the patience of Job” is used still today, even by many who do not profess to be Christians or ever open the Bible. The story of Job is historically accurate; a real-life drama that took place exactly as stated. He was one of the richest and most famous men of his time. Everyone respected him. He had a wonderful family and a solid relationship with God. He was one of those guys who “had it all”. He was the quarterback and captain of his school’s football team, and starting point guard on the basketball team. He graduated valedictorian of his class and dated the head cheerleader, and they had a storybook wedding a couple of years after graduation. He was the type of guy who looked like he just stepped out of the GQ magazine cover; never a hair out of place, never had a zit, and did not know what a cavity was. OK, maybe all of that is not really in the Bible directly, I added it to give you the mental picture of the type of person Job was.

But the story continues. Unbeknownst to him, Job became a “pawn” in a spiritual battle between God and Satan. Satan complained and argued that the only reason Job honored God was because he got the cheerleader and had all the money. God allowed Satan to launch an offensive against Job, and in one fell swoop, Job lost it all – his family, his fortune, and his health. Then his three best friends showed up (Larry, Curly, and Moe), and spent the rest of the book unjustly riding his case about some deep dark sin in his life that had caused all his misery (Not!). While “all have sinned” including Job, he suffered mightily at the hand of our adversary due to no direct fault of his own. That can happen to all of us at times in this crazy sin-filled world of ours.

But there was an element of Job’s suffering that is found in “seed form” in the verses I quoted above. One of the “minor” reasons God allowed Job’s suffering is to teach him faith. Job was overly worried about what might happen. He said he was NOT in safety, rest, or quiet, yet still his trouble came. Remember, Job had it all. How could he say he was NOT in safety, when God had “…made an hedge about him” (Job 1:10)? Even though his business ventures were making nice profits, he could not be at rest because he dreaded the coming recession that all the experts were warning of. He came home from work every night to a nice home cooked meal, his family at his side, and his favorite Golden Retriever curled up at his feet in front of the fireplace, yet he was not “in quiet” because the cares of the future kept his heart in turmoil. God had to test Job in this area by allowing his rest and quiet to be truly taken from him.

The vast majority of what we worry about will never actually come to pass. In that regard, we spend so much of our emotional and spiritual capital on nothing. Our hearts are often “…driven with the wind and tossed” (James 1:6). We can worry, or we can trust God. But we cannot do both! One excludes the other. No one can say they trust God if they cannot rest their hearts on his care and provision even when the future looks bleak. In this absolutely upside down crazy world, the future does indeed look pretty frightening in a natural sense. But God has not let go of the reins or fallen asleep at the wheel. The believer must always apply I Peter 5:7: “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” He said ALL your care, not just the parts that are easy to let him have. Jesus said, “Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof” (Matthew 6:34). It does not mean we stick our head in the sand and ignore reality. It means we trust the future to the one who has guaranteed us a home in heaven. Don’t let your fear become a “self-fulfilling prophecy”. If you know Jesus as your Saviour, you will one day be with him when the calendar rolls far enough ahead. Commit your heart to his care between now and that day.

Dad's Spaghetti Sauce

“How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Ps 119:103)

I make my own spaghetti sauce. Actually, it is not “my own”, but my dad’s recipe that he passed on to me, and we are not even Italian. He has “tinkered” with it over the years, and come up with a great blend of ingredients that works very nicely on my taste buds. It has fennel, parsley, anise, red pepper, and lots of sugar, along with the other standard “spaghetti sauce” spices. It definitely has a different taste. The first time someone tries it, they usually don’t like it. They are expecting a traditional marinara flavor, and my dad’s sauce hits you from a distinctly different angle. It takes some getting used to. You have to let it “grow on you”, to which some have replied, “Yeah, so do warts.” I absolutely love it, but not everyone does. Some people just have no taste.

The word of God is a lot like my dad’s spaghetti sauce. (I’ll bet you never heard an analogy like that before!) First of all, even though I have my own Bible with my own notes in the margins, it is not really “mine”. My Father in heaven passed it on to me. I didn’t write it. Many skeptics of the Bible complain when we quote the word of God that we are being “judgmental” or harsh. It is not my “recipe”. If you don’t like my Father’s formula, take it up with him. One of the biggest reasons why people do not like the Bible is that they are expecting something else. Lost man has an inbred pre-disposition to the word of God. The world thinks it is just “the good book”, filled with all sorts of wonderful praise for religion, “spirituality”, and the works of mankind. While there is plenty of positive encouragement in the Bible, it is also very honest about who we really are. Psalm 39:5 says, “…every man at his best state is altogether vanity.” Vanity in the Bible is nothing. When we are at our best, we are nothing. Jesus said, “Without me ye can do nothing.” (John 15:5) Mankind as a fallen race is described in Romans 3:10-12: “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” It says together, we are unprofitable. We are like “fractions”. None of us are “whole”, because “…all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) When fractions are multiplied, the resulting number gets smaller. Every time another one of us jumps into the pile of humanity to try to help us along in our quest to “make the world a better place” we actually make it worse because we bring our sin into the mix. The “fractions” of individuals keeps getting us farther from the mark.

Those things are not palatable to the natural man. The first time he “tastes” those truths, it hits him the wrong way because he is expecting something else. I mentioned that my dad’s sauce has lots of sugar. It is sweet when people don’t expect it to be. The Bible says, “The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.” (Proverbs 27:7) Lost man thinks he is “full”. Therefore, when he first tastes of the sweetness of the word of God, he does not like it because it tells him that he is a filthy sinner who needs the Saviour. But I like the sweetness of my dad’s spaghetti sauce, and I have grown very accustomed to the sweetness of the word of God. I appreciate God telling me that my best is a big fat zero. It shows me that even though I am a sinner, God loved me enough to “send the very best” – his Son to die for my sins.

Once you learn to appreciate the Bible for what it really is – God’s revelation to man – it is sweet. Even the bitter parts are sweet because they reveal to us that our God in heaven loves us and wants us to come the saving knowledge of his Son. If you have not “tasted” this wonderful news, why not come to Jesus today? Give it another taste. Don’t let your pre-conceived ideas keep you from a relationship with God and a home in heaven. “O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.” (Psalm 34:8)

Real Freedom

“Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”

(II Corinthians 3:17)



This Monday was Flag Day, where we honor our country and our way of life by flying the flag of the United States of America. Coming soon, we will celebrate Independence Day (July 4th) with hot dogs, motherhood, apple pie, and Chevrolet, and by blowing up stuff in honor of our freedom as Americans. Both Shawnee and Merriam will recognize the 4th by a prominent display of flags. There will be literally thousands of United States flags lining the major streets of both suburban cities. Our church has been invited to help with this project with other civic members of our community. It is always a moving display of pride and patriotism.



We live in the greatest nation on earth, the “land of the free and the home of the brave”, and the beacon of liberty for the oppressed of the world. Much has been “cussed and discussed” lately about our immigration issues, but at its heart is the desire of the human heart for liberty. That is why everyone floods our borders to come here. But as much as we trumpet the cause of liberty in our land, are we really free? (No need to answer that from your personal political beliefs).



Jesus addressed this issue with the Pharisees, the religious and political leaders of his day. He said, “…ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32) They responded in the next verse just like the typical American would, “We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?” What do you mean, Jesus? We are Jews, God’s chosen people. We are the beacon of liberty! We have never been subject to anyone! At the time they said that, they were a lowly possession of the Roman Empire. They had just spent over 600 years being passed from one Gentile power to another, from Babylon, to Assyria, to Persia, to Greece, and then to Rome. The Nation of Israel – the mighty seed of Abraham – was held in captivity for 400 years in Egypt before their exodus under Moses. Yet they claimed they were free just like average American does. Someone needs to smell the coffee.



Jesus was ready with an answer. He said in verse 34, “Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.” The type of freedom Jesus gives has nothing to do with governments or empires. When we place our trust in him as our personal Saviour, he frees us from the penalty of sin. We are still human, of course, and sin is still a part of our lives, but God no longer holds it to our account. Jesus paid for my sins on the cross – all of them – past, present, and future. I am truly free!



That does not give us the license to “whoop it up” in sin. Paul tells us, “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.” (Romans 6:12) Once we are saved, God calls us to forsake sin. In the same chapter, the Bible tells us that if we serve sin, we will be held in its grip of bondage. Proverbs 5:22 says, “His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins.” The more we give in to sin, the stronger it holds us. Even though Jesus has paid the penalty, sin can still grab us, and when it does, it does not like to let go. Real freedom comes when we trust Jesus as our Saviour to deliver us from the bondage of hell, then live in accordance to his word to deliver us from sin’s power and grip in our daily lives.



Jesus completed his dialogue with the Pharisees with this famous statement: “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” (John 8:36) I am “proud to be an American”, but it matters not where we live. It matters whose we are. Those who think they are “free”, but without Christ need him. Those of us who have him need to tell them.

Amazing Grace

“Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.” (Psalm 119:18)



I remember an episode of MASH where Alan Alda’s character Hawkeye Pierce was temporarily blinded by an accident in the camp. He went through the rest of the episode staged over about a week with a wrap on his eyes. The other characters had to lead him around to various functions, and obviously he could not perform his duties. By the end of the episode, the treatment worked and he could see again. He had initially been very cranky and gloomy due to his infirmity, but by the end he had developed some interesting perspectives on the miracle of sight. His other senses had been heightened due to his blindness. One part of the show had a little slow steady rain, and he said it sounded like bacon frying in a skillet. Most of us who take our sight for granted would never think of making such a connection, but to this day when it rains, I remember that.



In John chapter 9, Jesus encountered a man who had been blind from his birth. Jesus healed his infirmity, and the man began to testify to the miracle worked in his life. Of course, the Scribes and Pharisees had a hissy fit about that, largely because they knew they were powerless to work such miracles, and their power base was threatened by this Jesus dude who was upstaging them. So they launched an offensive against him (typical) to get him to deny the power of Jesus in his life and to confess that Jesus was just any old ordinary sinner like the rest of us. He answered them, “Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.” (John 9:25) The classic gospel hymn “Amazing Grace” is based on this verse and story. A man blind from birth would have some interesting perspectives on life that the rest of us would not see. He would be much more thankful and appreciative of the simple blessings of life. But most importantly, he would be impossible to shut up about the glory of his Lord Jesus Christ.



Over 30 years ago, my life was permanently and radically changed by the Saviour. Before, I could not see the reality of life. If God did exist, he was just the big blob in the sky that no one could know. The Bible was just a collection of fables written by men and full of contradictions. The meaning of life was to get a job and make money just so I could party on the weekends. Life after death was a myth at best, and life before death had no real purpose. But then Jesus touched my blind eyes by his sacrifice on the cross for my sins. I once was lost, but now I am found; was blind, but now I see. Ephesians 1:18 is now very real: “The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.” Jesus makes all the difference to those who know him.



Most all of us know someone who is blind. But far more importantly, we all know many hundreds of people who are spiritually blind because they have never met the Saviour. They were born that way as a member of the fallen race of Adam (Romans 5:12). They need a new birth in order to be able to see with the eye of faith to the reality of life in Christ. They are filled with misconceptions about life just as I was long ago. Some of them are downright belligerent about it just like the Pharisees were, because Jesus threatens their “power base”. They think their life is their own, when God made us to fellowship with him. We have the “eye-salve” for their blindness (Revelation 3:18). The Lord Jesus Christ came to, “…preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.” (Luke 4:18) Jesus is now seated at the right hand of the Father, and he has left us here to preach his truth until he comes.



If you have truly been touched by the Master, how can you keep your mouth shut about it?

A Personal Saviour

“Now at that feast the governor was wont to release unto the people a prisoner, whom they would. And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas. Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ?” (Matthew 27:15-17)



Anyone familiar with the story of Jesus Christ is also familiar with many of the “bit players” in the drama. One of them is this man named Barabbas, who was released according to Jewish and Roman custom at the feast of the Passover. The Bible says this was done as a courtesy to the Jews because of their religious customs, probably to represent the release of the children of Israel from the bondage of Egyptian slavery, which is what the Passover is all about. But as the New Testament tells us, the Passover was fulfilled by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as the “Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29)



Well over 80% of all people in the United States identify themselves as “Christians”. But that is such a broad label that it really does not clearly identify those who have truly trusted Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour. If 80% of the citizens of this country were truly born again believers living in fellowship with the Saviour, we would not have any of the problems we face today with drugs, crime, pornography, economic collapse, societal breakdown, divorce and family abuse, etc. and ad infinitum. The overwhelming vast majority of those 80% are Christians “in name only”. They have never made their faith personal. To them, Christianity is a religion that they belong to because of their affiliation with a group that labels themselves “Christian”. In reality, they are no more saved than Barabbas was.



Barabbas is a fascinating character. His name (Bar-Abbas) means “son of the father”. Of course, all of us are the son of a father (duh…), but Barabbas pictures the entire human race. We are all sons of our first father Adam, and as such, we are all guilty of the sin he brought on humanity in his fall. We may not have done what Barabbas did (sedition, robbery, and murder), but, “…all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) As a result, we are sentenced to die, just as this man was. If you will remember, there were two thieves crucified with Jesus on that day. Barabbas was a robber, and most likely, the third cross was slated for him. But he was freed, and Jesus took his place. No man on earth ever had a clearer personal witness of the gospel than Barabbas. A guilty man was in bonds and sentenced to die. An innocent man took his place, and the guilty man went free. Barabbas had zero merit. There was no reason to free him other than someone taking his place. That is the gospel. But there is no indication that Barabbas ever got saved. If you saw the movie “The Passion of the Christ” (by the way, not live footage, but a fairly accurate representation of the story), Mel Gibson did a very good job of capturing this scene. As he was being released, Barabbas paused for a brief moment and looked at Jesus. Their eyes met, and time seemed to stand still for just a couple of seconds. You could clearly see that Barabbas was pondering the significance of his release. He knew first hand what it meant for Jesus to take his place in judgment. Then after a brief pause, he grinned, let out a yell, and ran out into the crowd a free man, and disappeared from the annals of history, never to be seen or heard from again. He is just like so many who profess to be a Christian. They have seen with the eye of faith what Jesus did to take away sin. They acknowledge the historical accuracy of the gospel record. But they have never made it personal. I Timothy 4:10 says Jesus is, “…the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.” Jesus took away the sin of the world on the cross. In that regard, he is the Saviour of all men. But only those who have personally asked him to be their Saviour are genuinely saved. Jesus died for “Barabbas”, all the sons of the father Adam who are held in the bondage of sin. But specially, he is the Saviour of those that believe. If you have never personally asked Jesus to save you, do so today by faith.