Month: September 2022

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5

This past week, the world lost the beloved Queen Elizabeth of England. She was the only ruler most of us have known in our lifetime, and the outpouring of love from around the world speaks to her character, her kindness, compassion, and love of country, God, and family. She was a most successful monarch.

In this world of today, we enjoy hearing about the successes of others, and we all pray for successful things in our own lives. It’s uplifting to hear things such as: the surgery was a success, the treatment was a success, our children are successful, our grandchildren are having a successful year, or our business is successful. These successes are important and God should get the glory for each one, but there are other successes that are judged by man which don’t deserve the same adulation.

A small business owner once posted a sign in his store which read: The 57 Rules of Success: Rule One: Deliver the goods; Rule Two: the other 56 don’t matter! Alexandre Dumas said, “Nothing succeeds like success,” which suggests that success will breed more success. If you work hard and achieve your goals, you will be very likely to continue to achieve success. The successful people and things in this world is a wonderful thing, but there are different ways of viewing success.

What is success? Success is defined as the accomplishment of an aim or purpose. The trouble with this kind of success is that many people define it in ways which aren’t aligned with the Christian teachings. There is a difference between what the world considers success and what God sees as success. The world’s success is all about making a lot of money, being popular, and getting your name and face in the media. God would want success to include things such as the wisdom to know when to speak and when to be silent; the ability to teach and be taught; and the courage to know when and whom to fight and when to turn and walk away.

The trouble with success is that it never arrives on its own, but it is rather often preceded by difficulties and accompanied by pain and rejection. Many years in the ministry, several different places we called home, and many different people have taught me that not everyone is always happy when others are successful. Some people have trouble celebrating the success of others because they are jealous of the accomplishment. Successful people are the ones who don’t need all the glory, but rather as Paul says, rejoice with those who rejoice. John Woodman once said, “There is no limit to what can be accomplished if it doesn’t matter who gets the credit.”

The Christian who lives a successful life has a few important characteristics which differ from the world’s perception of success. First, a successful Christian is humble because of the security found in knowing our own strengths and weaknesses and being content with our identity in Christ.

A humble heart leads to an obedient heart which is content with serving, loving, and being faithful. Success to the Christian is complete honesty and integrity in all aspects of life. In order to succeed, every Christian must be strong in the Lord, and courageous enough to face challenges from both the world and the forces of evil.

A successful Christian values the bond of peace and unity above all else in all aspects of life. When we seek peace it lifts Christ above all else and magnifies His name to all the world. One Lord, One Faith, and One Father of all who is over all, in all, and through all.

The following is a great synopsis of what it means to be successful in this life. Ralph Waldo Emerson in his work, To Succeed says: To laugh often and love much; to win the respect of intelligent persons and the affection of children; to earn the approbation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to give of one’s self; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden path or a redeemed social condition; to have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sung with exultation; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived – this is to have succeeded. (Thanks to a sweet friend for sharing this work.)

For what nation is is great enough to have a god as near to them as the Lord our God is to us whenever we call on Him? ( Deuteronomy 4:7) God is our refuge and strength; a very present help in times of trouble. ( Psalm 46:1)

Fortunately, I’ve never been in an earthquake or big tremor, but I have experienced the aftershocks of one and that can be scary as well. Aftershocks are actually smaller earthquakes which can occur in the same area as the larger one and can continue over a period of weeks, months, or even years. An aftershock usually results from sudden changes in stress occurring within and between rocks with the sudden change brought on by the principle earthquake.

It seems as though this country has been living through aftershocks since that fateful day twenty one years ago when we all sat in stunned silence and watched the horror of the attacks on our democracy unveil all around us. This was a day where I remember prayers being uttered everywhere, the skies deathly silent, people checking in with loved ones, tears being shed, military families gearing up to go into the service when needed, churches opening their doors for prayer, and a feeling of utter helplessness.

The aftershocks still affect us even after all these years when we come together to remember this day and to relive the events that changed our world forever. In a matter of three hours, our country, Americans, and our world as we knew it were changed forever.

We, as Christians, also experience aftershocks in our lives. The sudden loss of a family member or friend, a health issue that changes our life, or an unforeseen disappointment can shock us. The fact that storms still come into our lives even though we are following Jesus and obedient to His word is shocking to many Christians. When aftershocks hit, the negative way we sometimes react tends to say to others, “We always follow Jesus if He meets our expectations and needs.” The truth is we need to take Jesus as He is and not as we construe Him to be.

We also experience aftershocks when we feel that Jesus is sleeping and not answering our prayers. Just like the disciples during the storm when the situation looked hopeless, they hesitated to wake Jesus because they were sailors and He was a former carpenter. What sailor asks a carpenter for help on the seas? There’s a reason Jesus doesn’t rescue us when we are intent on rescuing ourselves. As long as we think we can handle it ourselves, He allows us to try. As a nation, we got upset with God thinking He was sleeping during the attack. We always seem to place the blame on Him when aftershocks come. He is to be the Pilot of our boat, not a passenger, but many times we tell him to get in the back of the boat, and we will call Him when we need Him.

We have aftershocks when God speaks to us. Jesus came up from the bottom of the boat and said three words, Peace be still. Those words calmed the winds and the seas. We think as the disciples did, What manner of man is this that even the winds and the waves obey Him? (Mark 4 :41) Jesus speaks in so many ways to us individually, as a group of believers, and in the midst of our troubles. Our job is to listen and obey.

This nation has never in my lifetime been more united than it was immediately after 911. We were experiencing the aftershocks of tragedy together, and we leaned on each other and most heavily on God. Aftershocks tend to bring us out of our self reliance and show us the way back to our faith.

Andrew Dorsey was a jazz musician from Atlanta in the 1920’s who gave up his career in jazz to concentrate on spiritual music. The depression years were hard on him trying to just survive as a musician. On top of that, many people didn’t accept his music calling it “the devil’s music’. Dorsey could laugh about that years later as he said, “I got kicked out of some of the best church’s in the land because of my music”. One night while in St. Louis, he received a telegram informing him that his pregnant wife had died. He could have wallowed in the aftershock of grief and self pity, but instead he turned to the thing he knew best, music, and he wrote these words.

Precious Lord, take my hand, Lead me on, let me stand. I am tired, I am weak, I am worn. Through the storm, through the night, Lead me on to the light; Take my hand, Precious Lord, Lead me home.

As we remember that day, our prayer should be the words of Billy Graham as he said, “My prayer today is that we will feel the loving arms of God wrapped around us and that as we trust in Him, we will know in our hearts that He will never forsake us. And that this day will be a day that we will remember as a day of Victory.” God Bless America!

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man, this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God. Mark 10:27

A miracle is defined as an extraordinary and astounding happening that is attributed to the presence and action of an ultimate or divine power. My research indicates that the four gospels recount thirty seven miracles performed by Jesus in His short ministry on this earth. Miracles such as turning the water into wine, feeding the 5000, walking on the water, healing the paralytic at Bethesda, raising Lazarus from the dead, and of course, the resurrection. He performed these miracles by touching, healing, and transforming countless lives.

Miracles still happen today, and they happen in the most unexpected places and times. The path to a miracle often goes through uncomfortable territory, but miracles happen when things are uncomfortable. Maybe God needs us to feel uncomfortable in order to appreciate just how amazing His miracles can be!

Just a couple of months ago, my neighbor shared a struggle that she and her family were facing. It seems their son, a young husband and father of two, had just been diagnosed with a hereditary type of kidney disease, and he needed a kidney transplant. I’ve done some research on kidney transplants, and although, they are very successful these days, there are many factors involved to make a transplant happen. The biggest factor is finding a match between the recipient and the donor.

My neighbor’s family was quickly disqualified because the disease is hereditary and none of their kidneys could be used. In cases like this, the recipient goes on a donor list which means it could be years before a kidney becomes available. This miracle is that his wife stepped up to see if by any chance she could be a donor. Miracle of miracles, she was a perfect match! The surgery is over and both are recuperating. Their family can celebrate this together because, I believe God gave them a miracle.

The source of a miracle is always unexpected. It is strange to me that Jesus chose the wedding in Cana to perform His first miracle, why not use feeding 5000 with two loaves and five fish be first? He performed the miracle of turning water into wine to bring happiness and joy to the celebration of the union of a man and a woman. That shows me that God can and does intervene in our lives at exactly the right moment, and He provides us with exactly what we need. It also says our way of making things happen is always second to God’s way.

If Jesus can do something so spectacular, then what situation in our lives could possibly be too hard for Him? He is able to see our problems, failures, strengths, and weaknesses in greater depth and in much greater detail than we ever could. He is the master of every imaginable problem.

We probably don’t need our water turned into wine at this particular moment, and perhaps, everything in our life is pretty good right now, but imagine those who do need a miracle! Almost every day I hear the expression, “We are just praying for a miracle.” It is comforting to know that Jesus showed us God’s unlimited power to offer us help when things do happen. Things like a job loss, a call from the doctor’s office, an unexpected bill, or any other challenge can give God a chance to perform a miracle. It’s God’s blessing to us to be able to tap into His strength and wisdom.

Jesus always had witnesses at His miracles so that they could tell others of what they had seen and heard. He wanted people to say, “Here’s what happened or it was just this way.” It was not for His own glory, but to show the power, might, and love of God. People all around these happenings were changed. Some people fear miracles because they don’t want to be changed, but ignoring their existence will change us also.

I’ve seen quite a few miracles in these past few months, and it is proof to me that God is alive and working in this world and in our lives. The miracles such as the gentleness in the touch of a child’s hand, the generous loving care of others, the power of God in the fury of a storm, or the hum of a hummingbird’s wings next to you, is a chance to experience a power much greater than ourselves. To believe in miracles is to believe that God is there pouring out His love for us, revealing His majesty and glory, and inviting us to have a closer walk with Him.

Oh Lord, my God, the Majesty and Glory of your name, Transcends the earth and fills the heavens. Tom Fettke