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Honor one another above yourselves. Romans 12:10

We are coming up on another running of the Kentucky Derby in beautiful Louisville, Kentucky. The race has been referred to as the most exciting two minutes in sports even though it literally only takes two minutes from beginning to end! Twenty thoroughbred horses line up in the starting gate, the words, and they’re off are spoken, and the race is on!

Even though the race is over in the blink of an eye, the preparation of horses, trainers, jockeys, and owners is a process which is carefully and meticulously orchestrated. On the first Saturday in May, all this preparation leads up to Crunch Time for all involved.

Crunch time is defined as a critical moment or period (usually at the end of a game) when decisive action is needed. These two minutes are crunch time. In this world of today every day is bringing all of us closer to crunch time where we have to take decisive action or suffer the consequences.

I’ve heard it said that there’s no reason to watch a full game of basketball because the game really boils down to the last two minutes where players and coaches enter crunch time especially when a game is close. The players are more physical and the coaches view every possession as critical.

Duke and their long time coach lost their bid for the NCAA championship to UNC in crunch time a few weeks ago. Not only was it his last game of the season, but it was also the last game of Coach K’s career. After the game when reporters could only dwell on how he felt about losing the last game of his career, Coach K said, “This is about these guys and how they feel. I will think about me later.”

His statement brought the scripture Honor one another above yourselves to mind as I contemplated the unselfish attitude portrayed by Coach K’s words. He put his players ahead of any sadness or disappointment that he was feeling. Jesus always preached doing for others and put them above His own needs.

At some point in the crunch time of life, we realize that it’s not just what we do in life, but rather what we do for others. The most miserable people on earth are those who hate, hinder, and hurt others, while the happiest are the ones who spend their lives helping others. Putting others above ourselves is what Jesus would want in each of us. It’s simple really, the degree to which we’re helpful to others is the degree to which we are happy!

The poet John Albert Holmes said, “It’s well to remember that the entire population of the universe, with one trifling exception, is made up of others.” All things in this life are based on relationships with one another, and if we don’t acknowledge that truth, we will miss out on the life that God has promised us.

The story is told of a successful man who was driving his car through a poor neighborhood when a young boy tried to flag him down. Not wanting to get involved, the man passed by the boy. The gentleman was stopped at a red light when a brick came crashing through his car window. The man jumped out to find the same boy he had passed by earlier had thrown the brick. The man was enraged and yelled at him, “You will go to jail for this!!” At that, the young boy cried, “I’m sorry, mister, but my Mom is on the floor of our apartment, and I think she’s dying. Our phone has been cut off, and I’ve been out here for ten minutes looking for help! I need a doctor.” The man now full of shame said, “I’m a doctor. Take me to her.” The woman lived, but it’s a sad world when we have to throw a brick to get someone’s attention when we need help.

How many times do we pass someone in need because it is inconvenient? Maybe we are guilty of not listening to the needs of others? Maybe we minimize the accomplishments of others to make ourselves look better? No matter what the situation, when we live for others relationships are made, people are encouraged, and needs are met as we humble ourselves. We need to resolve to be in crunch time every day so we don’t miss our opportunities.

Coach K ended his interview by explaining that in these basketball games, one team is either crying for joy or crying for sorrow. Whether it’s joy or sorrow, it’s a good thing because then you know they’ve given their all.

Michael W. Smith says it best in his song, I Will Carry You. We were never meant to walk this road alone; We are bound together when we say; I will carry you, Be your strength and pull you through. Reach for me and take my hand. We will pray and we will stand.

The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1

Easter has come and gone, the hallelujahs have been raised, the flowers on the crosses are losing their luster, the crowds are gone, the hams have been consumed, the hidden Easter eggs have been found, and the adulation and joy of last Sunday is beginning to fade. Now what? Where do we go from here? Is Easter just one day of celebration? How do we keep the celebration going each day of our lives as Christians?

Many of us will look back on our Easter and think, “Wow, it just doesn’t get any better than this!! It was such an uplifting day!” Unfortunately, then we put it on the back burner of our experiences and go on to other things in our daily life. The problem is if we are truly Easter people that doesn’t work. We need to carry that joy and adulation to others and spread the message of Easter. He is risen!! It can be done, but it will take shaking up of our routine in order to achieve it!

This past week Randy and I got away for a few days, and it was so good to shake up the routine of our lives if only for a brief time! We were surrounded by the beauty of the South Carolina lowlands, got to eat some food we have been denying ourselves, watched dolphins swim and play close to shore, and rode bicycles for the first time in years! As we were driving home, I thought, What Now? How do we remember to embrace the joy of each day?

There was a time in each of our lives where we jumped on monkey bars, rode roller coasters, and climbed mountains. No goal was unattainable. Then, we grew up, and we listened to those who would instill insecurities in us. Just like not being on a bicycle in years (because doctors warned Randy of the consequences of a fall with his two artificial knees and hips), fear creeps in and we begin to doubt ourselves. Fortunately, some things are worth the chance, and after we got the fall out of the way, the rest was a breeze and so much fun! What now? More bicycle rides!!

We can be so scared of losing what we have that we don’t go after what we want! Just like a football team which has the lead at halftime and begins to think of how not to lose instead of how to win, we play it safe while the other team takes the chances, plays without fear, and wins, we begin to live our life playing it safe.

In the Garden of Eden, Adam was perfectly formed, but he had no life until God’s spirit breathed into him. It was then that he started walking with God, taking initiative and fulfilling his purpose in life. If we want to continue the Easter spirit, it’s somewhat like riding a bike, we know how to do it, we just need to take the initiative to get it done! What Now?

David said, The Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? That says to me that living and exemplifying our life of faith means overcoming our fear of What Now? and adopting a play to win mindset. A mission that says even though the going is tough, we won’t let the resurrection story become a distant memory until next year!

When we make up our mind to spread the story, it isn’t easy because not everyone wants to hear. We have to pursue it with all the energy and sweat we can muster. Obstacles and struggles will face us at every turn, but these things are just part of life. If we didn’t have them, we wouldn’t appreciate the success we feel when we see an answer to What Now?

This week as Easter people, the thoughts should be these three things: obstacles are meant to be overcome, fear is meant to be conquered, and success is meant to be achieved! We need to refuse to give up until the game is over, the bike is ridden, and the victory won! What Now? Victory!

Oh Jesus I have promised to serve thee to the end. Be thou forever near me, my Master and my Friend. I shall not fear the battle if Thou art by my side; Nor wander from the pathway if Thou wilt be my guide. John Ernest Bode

But now in a single victorious stroke of life all three -sin, guilt, death- are gone, the gift of our Master, Jesus Christ. Thank God! 1 Corinthians 15:57

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. Romans 8:37

The trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 1 Corinthians 15:52

The word victory is defined as the act of defeating an enemy or opponent. This past Sunday, Christians around the world celebrated the awesome reality of Jesus’ victory over death. Carolyn Amends says that Easter Sunday is the Christian faith’s gold medal victory lap!

During this past week, we have gone from jubilation on Palm Sunday to the sadness of the Last Supper, the betrayal by Judas, the pain of the crucifixion, death, and now we can finally celebrate the new beginning that has come from the terrible ending on the cross on Good Friday.

Growing up in the 1960’s everyone who had any interest at all in sports had heard the saying made popular by Jim McKay on ABC”s Wide World of Sports – The Thrill of Victory…the Agony of Defeat. Christians right now are experiencing the thrill of the victory of Christ over the grave.

We have all experienced so many victories in our personal lives, careers, and even in our local and favorite sports teams since our last Easter celebration. We have celebrated weddings, engagements, new babies, good health reports, and graduations. We all love the victories and celebrations of life just as we love the victory of Easter, but what would Easter be without Good Friday?

If we aren’t careful, we can begin to forget that the resurrection would be meaningless without the pain and sacrifice of Good Friday. There is no victory without sacrifice, and no decision to follow Christ is without trouble, sacrifice, or pain. Sometimes, especially during times of sickness, loss, or betrayal by others, we can be tempted to feel that Jesus has let us down, but He never promised that life with Him would be care free. Every pain is an opportunity to consider it all joy, and grow into the person God meant us to be.

This year has also brought its share of challenges. We’ve seen friends lose spouses in well fought battles – some long lived and some quickly. We’ve seen people suffer with the pain of betrayal, sickness, heartache, and loss. Grief will break all the rules of seeking victory. Paul tells us that when we run into these challenges in life, they help us build endurance, endurance develops character, and character strengthens our hope. This hope will not disappoint. Romans 5:3-5

God provides us an amazing set of benefits when we face problems. First, He helps us develop endurance which gives us the strength to draw on His grace and keep moving forward regardless of our circumstances.

Next, God helps us to draw on our inner strength of character which is developed by a closer walk with Him. Our personal integrity is developed and leads to the strength to handle those Good Friday days.

Finally, we gain confident hope, a deep conviction that whatever it takes to be Easter people, we will ultimately make it. We also know that we are guaranteed success in our mission because this hope will not lead to disappointment.

It’s human nature to let the joy of Easter fade away as we deal with our day to day lives, but Corrie Ten Boom reminds us that faith shows God’s love and Jesus’ victory even through the chaos of life. It’s up to remind ourselves that because He lives, we will live also. John 14:19

The victory lies not with us, but with Christ, who has taken it on himself to conquer for us and to conquer in us. Richard Sibbes

Up from the grave He arose, with a mighty triumph o’er his foes; He arose a victor from the dark domain, and He lives forever with His saints to reign. He Arose, He Arose, Hallelujah, Christ Arose. Robert Lowry

When He had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, He bowed His head and gave up His spirit. John 19:30

The word finished is defined as to bring a task to an end or complete. I can remember using this word for things like, I finished my homework, I finished the dishes, I finished high school, I finished my day at work, I finished college, and the list goes on. The task was completed, and it could be checked off the list of tasks for my day, week, year, or life goals.

Jesus was put on this earth with tasks that needed to be completed or finished. He was charged with spreading the Word of God by teaching, healing, preaching, loving, and sacrificing. The Old Testament foretells of His fate in Isaiah when it says, “He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed.”

There are three things which I consider about the way we view the words, It is Finished. The first thing is that Calvary was voluntary. The word “Calvary” appears only once in the New Testament in Luke 23:33 where it reads, They came to the place which is called Calvary, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and one on the left.” Those who witnessed Calvary thought Jesus was a victim of the collusion between Jewish hatred and Roman might, but the truth is, no on coerced Jesus into going to the cross, it was voluntary. What happened there changed our destiny because even though his enemies intended Calvary to end His life, Jesus intended it to save us from our sins.

Calvary was also a substitution. Substitution is defined as replacing someone or something with another person or thing. We just crowned a new NCAA basketball champion last week. Many analysts have said that Kansas outlasted North Carolina in the end probably because of substitutions made during the game to keep players fresh. On Calvary, Jesus substituted himself for us. Peter writes, He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. Everything He did from His birth from a virgin, His sinless life, His ministry, His redeeming death, His miraculous resurrection, to His glorious ascension, He did as a substitute and as a savior for us.

Lastly, Calvary was vital because without it, our sins would have separated us from God forever. Jesus fulfilled or finished every requirement of God’s law, and He did it on our behalf. His life was not taken by force but freely given. Because of Him, we are forgiven.

The last words of Christ were not, It is Finished, even though it sounds like that, but rather, Father, into Thy hands, I commit my spirit. Jesus announces here that all our sins are forgiven, all our guilt was taken on Him, and that our salvation is won. Jesus announced it from the cross where all could hear, and his beloved disciple could record it.

It is finished is a victorious cry telling us that at Calvary love triumphed over law, forever freeing those of us who could never live up to God’s law. It was a cry of a victor not a victim! Three days later the empty tomb proved that Jesus had won the victory over death. He finished His task.

Jesus knew It Is Finished because He fulfilled all the scripture to the Glory of God. He did it all so that we could know that if we confess that Jesus is Lord and believe that God raised him from death, we too will be finished with this earthly life and join Him in heaven.

Happy Easter!

After he had said these things, Jesus became visibly upset, and then he told them why. “One of you is going to betray me.” The disciples looked around at one another, wondering who on earth he was talking about. One of the disciples, the one Jesus loved dearly, was reclining against him, his head on his shoulder. Peter motioned to him to ask who Jesus might be talking about. So being the closest, he said, “Master, who?” Jesus said, “The one to whom I give this crust of bread after I have dipped it.” Then he dipped the crust and gave it to Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot. As soon as the bread was in his hand, Satan entered him. “What you must do,” said Jesus, “do”. “Do it and get it over with.” John 13:21-27 The Message

Formal dinner parties have almost become a thing of the past in this world of today. Casual is the new style, and with that comes the abandonment of certain rules of etiquette and formality. Randy and I both come from large extended families, and I can remember family dinner get togethers being a bit of organized chaos, except that my grand mama and grand daddy always sat at either ends of the table assuming the positions of host and hostess.

Normally, their oldest child sat to the right of my Grandfather, the next oldest to the right of my grandmother, then the next oldest to left of my Grandfather and the next to the left of my Grandmother. These spots were considered the seats of honor. Spouses could sit next to their husband or wife, but it was not assigned seating! The other fifteen of us just found the nearest table.

It’s interesting that Jesus invited the disciples to the Upper Room on the night of the Last Supper, and He had seats of honor chosen for some. The Bible says that John was seated to his right which was the highest seat of honor. Many scholars speculate that Judas was seated to His left which was the next highest seat of honor. It is thought that Peter was seated away from Jesus since he was not close enough to John to ask him who Jesus was accusing but rather had to motion to him. He was close enough however, that he and John could communicate without the other disciple’s knowledge.

It is obvious that with the exception of Judas, none of the disciples had come to the meal with any idea that a betrayer was seated among them, and they certainly wouldn’t expect him to be in a seat of honor. The Bible says that the disciples were bickering among themselves about who deserved seats of honor around Jesus. Imagine their shock as the evening played out.

It would be interesting to know what the conversation was like around that table after Judas left and went to the sell Jesus out for thirty pieces of silver. It’s been said that there are people who are invited to parties but sometimes the people there make them feel unwelcome. Thus the phrase, Invited but not welcome. I wonder if Judas felt unwelcome after the revelation or if he was so possessed by Satan that he felt no remorse until after the deed was done.

Jesus was not going to let the betrayer leave any feelings of animosity among the disciples, so he gathered the disciples together to give them a new commandment. He said, Love one another. In the same way I have loved you, love one another. This is how everyone will recognize you as my disciples – when they see the love you have for each other. (John 13:34-35) In doing so, He demonstrated His servanthood and humility and commissioned the disciples to remember their mission.

He does the same for us when we feel betrayed whether by people, society, government, or life. He gives us things we can do to deal with betrayal in our own life.

First, He tells us to pray for those who “despitefully use you” because one day God will right ever wrong. Jesus also encourages us to stay focused on Him and let His peace fill us. We must be patient, make up our minds not to be like them, and let the Lord lead. Lastly, we must follow the new commandment and love one another.

Let’s not forget this about Judas, he was loved by Jesus just as the other disciples. He betrayed Jesus, and yet with all the complexities and contradictions of his life, he had a seat at the table with Jesus. So do we. It is said that a Christian can only be in two places. Either we are present in our body on earth, or we are present with the Lord in heaven with a seat of honor reserved just for us!

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.

Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. John 14:13-14

Years ago when the Miss America Pageant was at its zenith, one of the most popular questions asked of the contestants was, “If you could have anything you want, what would it be?” The most popular answer was, “World Peace”. That answer would certainly fit our situation in today’s world!

We are dealing with the Russian invasion of the Ukraine and seeing horror stories of what those people are enduring. How far will people go for the sake of power, wealth, narcissism, and control? We are experiencing some of the same problems with crime, inflation, fear, hatred, and lack of compassion for our fellow man right in our own country and neighborhood. It’s hard to believe the world around us has come to this.

With those thoughts in mind, if we change that question above to fit a Christian’s thought process it would be, “If you could ask God for anything, what would it be?” I think we would all agree, we would like to feel at peace not only with the world, but with so many things life seems to throw our way.

The question is, why don’t we ask God for help with those things that are causing us so much pain and sorrow? The story is told of a Father and daughter who were out for a walk. The little girl’s shoe strings needed tying, and the Father admonished her to please tie her shoe before she tripped. Inadvertently, the little girl became so frustrated in trying to tie her shoe that tied it in a knot. As her father watched, she tried in vain to get that knot out of her shoe in order to retie it. The more she tried, the worse it got until she was in tears. Her father was standing right over her, why didn’t she ask him for help? Why not just look up and ask him to help tie her shoe rather than going through all that distress?

Asking is really a basic part of our life. It is defined as saying something in order to receive an answer, permission, or information. If we don’t ask questions of others about their background, their hobbies, their likes and dislikes, or their faith, then we will never truly know them. It’s the same with God, if we don’t ask, we will never know what kind of Father He is to us. Asking is the way we learn. If we don’t know we can ask God, we are going to settle for trying to work things out on our own.

We tend to forget to ask God daily what He would have us do with our day. Even the disciples were guilty of not asking God for His advice. The feeding of the five thousand is the only miracle Jesus performed which is recorded in all four gospels. There are minor differences, but all the gospels are similar on the occurrence.

Jesus had withdrawn to a solitary place, but the crowds from the surrounding towns followed him. The Bible says, “He had compassion on them and healed their sick.” Evening was coming, and because the place was so remote, there was no food. The disciples had an easy answer, “Send them away to a remote village and let them buy food for themselves.” None of them ever asked Jesus if He could in some way feed the crowd. They even argued with him when He told them to feed the crowd. Jesus took the five loaves and the two fish, gave thanks, and broke the loaves. The number of people fed that evening were five thousand. The basics of believing is knowing that we can just ask God.

First, be specific when you ask God for something and ask in Jesus’ name. Even though God already knows what you need and want, He wants us to ask. When we are specific, the bond between our Savior and ourselves becomes stronger. F. B. Meyer says, “It is much better to claim a few specific things than to make twenty vague requests. “

Next, trust that God that will act according to His will, and continue to praise Him while He’s working. If you don’t believe God has heard your prayer and is acting, the prayer loses power.

Finally, be patient. God’s timeline is not ours. Remember, there is a reason He has not answered in our time. One day we will laugh at the seemingly impossible situations while we watch with delight at how God will open a path through our Red Sea. (copied) His timing is perfect.

This week we begin the forty days of Lent. Perhaps this year we need to do something different in preparation for Easter. Rather than giving up something, let’s begin to ask God everyday for what we need, then wait and see. As the psalmist said, “I am confident of this; I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” Psalm 27:3

My faith looks up to Thee, thou lamb of Calvary, Savior Divine. Now hear me while I pray, Take all my guilt away, O let me from this day be wholly thine. lyrics by Ray Parker