Month: March 2022

The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat. When the wheat sprouted, the weeds also appeared. The servants came to him and said, “Sir, didn’t you sow good seeds in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?” “An enemy did this,” he replied. The servants asked, “Do you want us to go and pull them up?” ” No,” he answered, “let them grow together until the harvest. Then, I will tell the harvesters to gather the weeds first and tie them into bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into the barn.” Matthew 13:24-30 (selected verses)

Two weeks ago we had our yard aeriated and new grass seed planted. That weekend the winds, cold temperatures, and rains came. The next week, as it began to grow, all I could see were the weeds that seemed to be growing exponentially in comparison to the grass. My inclination was to grab the bottle of weed killer and take those weeds out, but if I did, the grass around them would be harmed as well.

Our Daddy was a farmer, and he always complained about the weeds that would grow among his crops. Any plant that was growing where it should not be growing was considered a weed. Most of these weeds in the acres of land had to be pulled by hand after the roots of the good plants had taken hold. It was back breaking work, and it made one wonder about God’s purpose for weeds in gardens. Even though sometimes all we can see are the weeds, the workers had to know the difference between the good plants and the weeds.

In life, as in this situation, sometimes the weeds are the only thing that we can see amidst all the other good that surrounds us. In this parable, Jesus is showing us that there are angels among us represented by the harvest workers. It also teaches that God does have a plan for this world, and He is working to accomplish it, but He’s working in His time.

We live in a world where tragedies, injustices, accidents, and violence occur every day and wreak havoc on people’s lives. The new atrocities happening around our world and even in our own country can cause us to ask, “Where is God? Why doesn’t He do something?” The parable teaches us that He is working His plan for His kingdom here on earth. The weeds represent evil all around us, but Jesus teaches that even though there is an enemy working, this plan is on God’s time not ours.

There are some lessons to be learned from this parable. First and foremost, we all need to know the Bible well enough that regardless of how convincingly someone slants the scriptures, their interpretation can not mislead us. We need to be ready and able to defend our faith.

We also need to be spiritually alert. The seeds of evil we are seeing now in our world, community, and our lives were sown years ago, and they’ve been growing. It’s only when the good seed begins to emerge that we see the damage that’s been done. We need to live our lives so that we aren’t surprised or naïve about the forces of evil. One degree off course may seem harmless enough, but if we stay on that trajectory long enough, we will end up far from where God wants and needs us to be and suddenly realize, “an enemy has done this!”

We need to remember that God has sown the good seeds. It isn’t Him who is responsible for the weeds. Jesus says leave the weeds alone and concentrate on being the best “wheat” you can be on this earth. The lives of people are intertwined on this earth, just like the wheat and weeds, and we are likely to do more harm than good by pulling the weeds and causing innocent people to be hurt. It’s best for us to concentrate on being the doers of good deeds in this world so that our light and our deeds outshine the deeds of evil and overcome its effects.

The Pharisees planted weeds during Jesus’ ministry. Seeds of accusation and lies that eventually led to His persecution, trial, and crucifixion. He chose to leave the judgment of those to God His Father and ended up victorious on the day of Resurrection.

The kingdom of God comes when His will is done. The kingdom is growing all around us, and we can take part in it or not. It’s not about weeds. It’s about continuing to grow and work even among the weeds.

Our role is to be the presence of a loving Christ in this world and leave the weeding to God in His time.

We put no stumbling block in any one’s path, so our ministry will not be discredited. Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way; in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings imprisonments or riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger. 2 Corinthians 6:3-5

March Madness is upon us and basketball enthusiasts are filling their weekends with the respective tournaments. This past weekend, the quest for the best team in basketball began in earnest with sixty four teams, and it will be narrowed down after each game until we reach the Final Four.

Just as in every sport, there are players who seem to always be in the limelight, but it certainly takes the entire team in order to win games and advance to the next level. The point guard is usually the most important member of the team because they handle the ball on almost every play. They are an extension of the coach on the court as they direct the team and communicate the plays. Point guards are good shooters, but they are also good at getting the ball to others for the score. A team can have the best shooters, but unless they can get the ball in for the shot, that is inconsequential.

The game is won or lost by teammates who will get the ball to the best shooter, and assist in the score. In basketball, an assist is attributed to a player who passes the ball to a teammate in a way which leads to a score.

Faith is like that as we use it to assist God. Faith on our part means that we are willing to come to the aid of our Lord in order to help Him carry out His plans. For example, the ark of the covenant was equipped with poles so the priests could raise it to their shoulders. Even the ark of God didn’t move itself but was carried. When God is our architect, we become the bricklayers and the laborers. It’s our faith that assists God.

I once heard a minister say, “If you were on trial for your faith, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” Augustine said, “Faith alone saves, but the faith that saves is never alone.” We can claim we have faith all day long, but there should be some evidence to prove it. There should be some evidence of assisting God in our lives.

The question is “How can we assist God during our time here on earth?” He has chosen each one of us to serve and assist in many difference ways. God could send angels to carry out His work, but He wants ordinary people to minister to human kind. If we use the tools He has provided to each of us, we will assist Him in building His kingdom.

There are many ways we can assist Him, but there are a few with which I can identify. The first is shepherding. Years ago, our church had the Stephen Ministry shepherding program. Many of us took the course, learned ways to help those in need, and went out to meet with and try to shepherd those with specific needs. One of the most important lessons I learned personally, is that when shepherding people, it’s not for us to get pulled into the depths of despair with them but rather to give them a hand up and out of it.

Hospitality is a way to assist God. It’s important that people, no matter their station in life, feel welcome and accepted when we encounter them in this life. No one deserves public ridicule, and all Christians should be sensitive to the opinions of others.

Discernment is important in our quest to assist God. We all need the wisdom to recognize truth from untruth by correctly evaluating whether or not the behavior or information we see or hear is Godly.

Finally, mercy is a quality which is absolutely necessary in assisting God. Mercy is a defining trait of those who have a great sensitivity for those who are suffering. It manifests itself in offering compassion, forgiveness, and encouragement, and reaching out in love to those in need even when it’s in one’s power to punish or harm. One has only to see the pictures and stories of the people in the Ukraine to know that feeling.

Each one of us probably has a story of some one or some group that has assisted us in this life whether by an example set for us, an encouraging or kind word spoken when it was needed, a leader who assisted us in discerning truth from lies, or a quality of mercy which was instilled in us. Thank God for all the people who assist God daily by thought, word and deed.

In basketball as in life, we have those who win the game by their assists. My prayer is that we try every day to win the game for our Lord by assisting Him in this world.

He was in the world and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize Him. John 1:10

There is a television series entitled, Undercover Boss, where the owner of the company sometimes goes undercover disguised as a staff member. The boss works alongside the employees unrecognized and gets to experience the daily pressures, problems, frustrations, and successes of the staff. They also see people as they really are. For example, the frog might turn out to be a prince or an ugly duckling could prove to really be a swan.

It is also an opportunity for the Boss to become familiar with the employees and see first hand their strengths and weaknesses and what things are and are not working. In other words, the Bosses get to understand a little better those who work for them, and get an opportunity to know them as people instead of just names or faces.

A few years ago Randy and I had the opportunity to visit St. Petersburg, Russia with its elaborate palaces, beautiful countryside, and friendly people. Unfortunately, the underlying feeling we had as we went on guided tours, ate in restaurants, and talked with the people there was that there was a hesitancy to share too much about their own feelings and experiences in the country. It was as though Undercover eyes and ears were everywhere. Technology is so advanced and these people were so intimidated that it was easy to believe their fears were real.

The concept of an Undercover boss prompted me to ask, “Would we all act or speak differently if we knew Jesus was undercover working here alongside us? How would our conversations go at the family table if we thought He could be undercover there? How would we treat others in our daily lives? Would our language change? Would our motives be different? Would we be willing to let innocent men, women, and children suffer? Would we step up to defend some of the things happening in our country, our community, our church and our world? How would we deal with life if we knew the Kingdom of God was here right now?”

When Jesus encountered the woman at the well in John 4:10, He says, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is who asks you for a drink, you would have asked Him and He would have given you living water.” Jesus is among us and is waiting for us to ask for the living water He offers.

God is undercover in this world working, and He will reveal His plan throughout the generations. He has a kingdom right here, but we have to have eyes to see and ears to hear. The Word became flesh and lives among us.

Alfred Hitchcock used to get a kick out of doing cameo appearances in his movies. Sometimes he might be a man on the train with the stars, maybe just a man on the street, but he loved stepping out from behind the camera to do a cameo. God sometimes does a cameo for me in the form of a redbird, a hummingbird, or something else which has significance for me.

For Mr. Hitchcock stepping out for a moment was fun, but he never had to learn the lines, put in rehearsals, or nurse aching feet and backs. For God sending Jesus as an undercover boss was different. It was no cameo, but rather a life long assignment. He experienced everything we do from our weaknesses, our limitations, our highs and lows, everything from the cradle to the grave. Jesus is like the undercover boss who puts on his overalls and gets his hands dirty. He understands what we all go through in this life.

It’s interesting that there are those employees who don’t recognize their boss undercover, and they treat him like the new junior. They have no idea who they are talking to, but instead of being angry, the boss understands.

It was that way with Jesus. The crowds followed him while he was preaching, teaching, feeding them, or healing them, but when they were challenged to leave everything and follow Him, they abandoned him, but He still gave His life for them.

The powerful religious leaders were offended by Him and jealous of Him. They accused and convicted Him of crimes he didn’t commit, his friends abandoned Him, and He was unjustly punished with a tortuous death, but He still died for them.

The good news is that death could not defeat Him, and it can’t defeat us. Jesus has walked in our shoes, but now He’s back in charge of this world. Just like the undercover boss who sheds those overalls for a suit, and goes back to work, He is here for us.

When this world beats us down, it’s comforting to know that Jesus will give us a sympathetic “hearing” when we ask. He stands between us and God, and that should give us the confidence to know that our prayers are being answered. God is there to offer grace when we need it.

The undercover boss gives gifts of encouragement, forgiveness, and understanding to his loyal employees, but God’s gifts are far greater. The name Jesus means, God Saves, because He will save us from our sins. The cross is our promise!

That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height – to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:17-19

One of the very first songs I can remember learning from my Mama as a child was Jesus Loves Me. She sang it to all three of us girls in our early years, and I remember her singing it to our children and even our grand children. It’s a song that everyone can sing from memory, and it has the power to unite us as Christians. The history of this simple children’s song carries a much more intriguing and deeper powerful message in the words than most of us realize.

The words were written as a poem by Ana Warner during the Panic of 1837, who, because of a family financial need began writing poems and stories with her sister, Susan, to add to the family income. The idea was from their novel entitled Say and Seal which tells the story of a little boy, Johnny Fox, who was dying. His Sunday School teacher comforted him by taking him in his arms, rocking him, and making up a little song which was Jesus Loves Me. The hymn writer William Bradbury read the words and composed a childlike musical score to go along with them. It became the best known children’s hymn on earth.

The Bible tells us that even when we aren’t worthy of love, Jesus loves us anyway. He created us in His own image, He cares for us, and He is there for us always, but especially during the times when we feel weak. He loves us so much that He gave His life for us to save us from our sins.

When John F. Kennedy and the men of PT 109 were rescued in the Solomon Islands, one of the crewmembers, William Johnston, went topside and gratefully sat beside his island rescuers. He smiled. They smiled. He tried to talk, but, what do you say? The islanders had been raised in a Christian mission, and Johnston had gone to Bible School as a child. Johnston took a chance and began to sing Jesus Loves Me. Those aboard found something that united them as they joined together one by one in singing Jesus Loves Me.

As our community and our world watch in horror and despair as the people of the Ukraine flee their country because of the Russian attacks, the thought of Christians all over the world being able to unite their hearts and minds around a unifier is somehow comforting. Just like the Coke commercial that declares, “I’d like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony”, my prayer is that the assurance that Jesus Loves Me could unify us all in peace.

Jesus came down to earth knowing that He would sacrifice himself and die for us. This is perfect love, something from which we could all benefit acknowledging, and for which we should all be grateful.

Years ago, a large Atlanta church invited a 92 year old retired minister to preach. After a warm introduction, the minister moved slowly and deliberately to the pulpit, placed both hands on either side of it, and looked at the congregation. The church was silent as they waited for him to speak. He began, “When I was asked to come here today to talk with you, your minister asked me what was the greatest lesson I had learned in my 50 years of preaching. I thought about that question for a few days, and it boiled down to just one thing that made the most difference in my life and sustained me through all my trials. The one thing that I could always rely on when tears and heart break, pain, fear, and sorrow paralyzed me. The only thing that would comfort me was this verse: Jesus loves me this I know, For the Bible tells me so, Little ones to Him belong, They are weak, but He is strong.” When he finished, the church was so silent, one could hear his shuffling feet as he returned to his seat.

In this world of today, we all need to hear the reminder that Jesus Loves Us with our faults, our imperfections, our sins, our unloveliness, our failures, and even our hatred. Jesus loves us, this I know.