Following Jesus

Recently, during a walk in a forest I was moved by the beauty of Creation. Lush trees, some with leaves others with needles, flowers from buttercups to foxglove, bees, bugs and lizards, birds of different colors and songs pleased my eyes and ears. Who would think up such a variety and diversity? I felt my heart fill with gratitude to Creator God, who made all this and so much more. He could have been much more “stingy” with his creation. Maybe 20 or 30 varieties of everything would have been quite enough to be marveled over—but he made so many more. Even today, we find new species never seen or documented before. It got me thinking that there are probably meadows filled with flowers in wilderness areas that nobody ever sees in their glory, yet Creator was pleased to make and grow them anyway. The author of Psalm 19 observes: “The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship.” We can see God’s creative energy at work in all that He made. It provides us with evidence of his care and concern for all areas of life. It can lead us to worship Him, the awesome God who has made himself knowable and known. Yes, it’s not the only way how he has done so, but his creation, nature, is one way how everyone is presented with proof of his existence.

Growing up I was often warned not to put too much emphasis on outward things as it may lead to worship of creation rather than its Creator. However, I’ve come to see that noticing, appreciating, and being grateful for the beauty of creation can lead me to love and trust the One who made it all even more.

Maybe you too will be reminded of Creators amazing creativity during your next walk in the woods, while camped at your favorite fishing hole or in the quietness of a leisurely float down the river. Take a moment to thank Creator God for all He made and for delighting you with it. You just might experience a deeper appreciation of His greatness, power, and love for us human beings.

Who directs your story?

Joe had it made. He was the youngest of ten brothers and his Dad’s favorite. He was talented, smart, and had the good looks.  He also was a dreamer, at least in his brother’s eyes. One time he had a dream that he would become boss over all his brothers, which he unwisely shared with them. That settled it. His brothers were officially fed up and began to think about how they could make life miserable for him. One day, when all the older brothers were on a family business trip, Joe was sent after them by his Dad to deliver an important document. When Joe arrived, he was first was made fun of—but then his brothers had the brilliant idea, that this could be the time to get rid of him for good. A plan to kill him was hatched, but when his oldest brother had misgivings, they decided instead to put him on a ship to a faraway land, without identity, money, and means to support himself.

As “fate” would have it, he found employment with the Secretary of the Department of Justice for that country. Soon, his business smarts caused him to be promoted to Personal Assistant. His boss’s wife had noticed that Joe was nice to look at and tried to seduce him. But Joe knew right from wrong; he didn’t give in to her repeated attempts. Slighted, she accused him of rape, which landed him in jail without a trial. While there, Joe didn’t wallow in self-pity, instead he impressed fellow inmates and jailers alike with his wisdom and smarts. When it seemed that he would rot in prison for the rest of his life, a former fellow inmate remembered a favor that Joe had done for him and recommended him to the President of the country as an excellent Consultant. Soon enough, Joe was released and brought to the government mansion, where he was able to provide answers for the Presidents troubling problems. Although fresh from prison, Joe was promoted again, this time to the position of Vice President.

Years later, while their family business was in trouble, Joe’s Dad sent his brothers to the President to see if he could offer any help. This was when Joe met his brothers again, but they didn’t recognize him. He didn’t let them off the hook easily; still, he made arrangements to provide assistance to the family business. When Joe revealed himself to his brothers, they feared, their lives would be taken in retaliation, but Joe, a man of integrity, was able to forgive his brothers. More so, he was able to see Creator God’s purpose in how he had written his story. Instead of threatening revenge, Joe comforted his brothers, told them not to be angry with themselves. Yes, they had abandoned him, but Joe told them that God had strategically sent him there to now be in a position to help. He was able to say:

“You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.”

Joe let the Creator of the universe write his story! Because of it, relationships were restored and a nation was saved!  Will you let Him right your story?

(If you are interested, you can find the detailed, original story in the first book of Creators Word, Genesis 37-50)

Ideas have consequences

Beginning with next Sunday, Followers of Christ around the world are celebrating Advent, the season of expectation of his first coming to earth. In God’s epic plan this event was long planned out and when the set time had fully come, it took shape right before our eyes.

Let’s consider the human circumstances surrounding Creator’s Son’s coming down to earth. Mary, Jesus’ mother conceived him under questionable circumstances to say the least. She wasn’t rich or of royal origin but from a peasant family, engaged to be married to Joseph, a blue collar worker. Despite suspicious circumstances and with some angelic encouragement, Joseph decided to stick by his fiancé and the child she carried. When the day of birth came, Mary and Joseph weren’t even at their familiar home; they were traveling and couldn’t find suitable lodging. They had to resort to staying in a dungy, smelly cave, where the Son of God was born among the cattle and laid into a feeding trough.

If this story would happen today, would Jesus have had a chance to be born? See, today we have contingency plans for situations like that. Rather than bringing shame to fiancé and family, it might have been decided to do away with the life that brings disruption and embarrassment. What if Jesus would have never been born because he was aborted? Unthinkable! Thankfully God’s plan could not be foiled, but what if other well-known and influential people would have undergone the same fate as millions of unborn do every year? Think about it. No Beethoven to inspire us with great music, no Einstein to open new scientific frontiers through his discoveries. No Abraham Lincoln or William Wilberforce laboring tirelessly to rid the world of the evil and demeaning practice of slavery, just to name a few examples.

Thankfully, forgiveness and healing is possible for those who may have had abortions through Creator’s grace and Jesus’ death, however, the consequences of lives lost remain.

I heard that Mother Teresa, who cared for thousands of poor and sick people, many of them suffering from HIV/AIDS, once asked God why there was no one who had come up with a cure for this dreadful disease. The answer she discerned was that this person was conceived but never born because of abortion.

How scarily true this may be of so many other artists, scientists, musicians, and leaders? Once we open ourselves up to the idea that life is disposable or a choice that we can make based on our own value judgment, things begin to unravel.

Ideas do have consequences.

I sat in stone silence looking at the white man sitting a few feet away from me. My heart was cold toward him, and I assumed he felt the same about me.

“This is the way it has always been and the way it will always be,” I thought to myself, “the Indian and the white man as enemies, eyeing each other with anger and suspicion.”

This man called Sonny Jaynes had taken me into his home to help me overcome my alcohol addiction – the relentless killer of Native Americans. He and his wife Margie were Christians who opened their home to all kinds of men who needed help; they called this ministry “Gates of Life.” I now found myself surrounded by the very thing I had come to hate – white men. I could have left, but I was a desperate man. [Read More]