DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- MOUNTAINS AND VALLEYS

MOUNTAINS AND VALLEYS

Matthew 17:9

“Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, ‘Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead.’ ”

It was indeed a glorious experience on the mountain, seeing Jesus and Elijah and Moses together. It was a once-in-a-lifetime event. Peter wanted to settle down there and build houses. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to live on the mountain top? But the truth is, you can’t live on the mountain top. Eventually you have to come back down to the valley where the nitty-gritty of life takes place. God gives the mountain-top so that we will know there is life beyond the valley. The valley has its challenges, and the glorious experiences where I get a glimpse of heaven helps me remember that there is more than what I face in the valley.

TODAY’S PRINCIPLE: Mountain-top experiences help one face the valleys.

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Have a “mountain-top” experience today. Love you.

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- TOUCHING OTHERS

TOUCHING OTHERS

Matthew 17:7-8

“But Jesus came and touched them and said, ‘Arise, and do not be afraid.” When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.”

In Luke’s record of this event of the Transfiguration, he included the fact that Moses and Elijah were talking to Jesus about what what going to happen soon in Jerusalem – Jesus’ crucifixion and suffering (Luke 9:30-31). If anyone had cause to be afraid, it should have been Jesus. Yet in spite of this, Jesus came to the disciples and touched them and spoke words of comfort. He could get out of his own comfort zone to minister to His fearful disciples because He trusted His Father. It is sometimes hard for me to get past my own situation to reach out to to others who are in need of a comforting word because I am so consumed by my own problems. To submit my own fears to God in order to touch others who have their own needs is a huge challenge, but it is an opportunity to help people lift up their eyes to see Jesus, and Him only.

TODAY’S PRINCIPLE: When faced with personal challenges, there are still opportunities to reach out and touch other people who have their own fears.

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Have a “touching” day. Love you.

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- THE VOICE

THE VOICE

Matthew 17:5-6

“While he [Peter] was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased. Hear Him!'  And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid.’ ”

There is a TV program entitled, “The Voice.” There may be some great voices in this world, but there is no voice like God’s voice. When He speaks, awesome things happen. He spoke, and the worlds were formed (Genesis 1 and Hebrews 11:2). He speaks, and the earth trembles (Psalm 18:7-15). It is interesting that it was not the sight of Jesus in His shining garments or the appearance of Elijah and Moses that caused the disciples to fall on their faces in fear. It was God’s voice. Oh, that men would hear the voice of Almighty God and fall on their faces before Him. God has spoken; hear His voice.

TODAY’S PRINCIPLE: Awesome things happen when God speaks.

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Have a “hearing to the voice of God” day. Love you.

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- THE MONUMENT

THE MEMORIAL

Matthew 17:4

Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, ’Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles; one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ ”

It is common practice to build monuments for famous people or events, like Lourdes, France, or even the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. The disciples’ experience on the mountain was a truly awesome event, but God never intended for them to stay in that place. We are the temples of God in the present on this earth and Jesus is with me wherever I go. I can’t get stuck in the past – “the good old days” – I will miss what God is doing today and in the future. It is like driving a car. It is important to look in the rear view mirror to see where I came from, but if I lock my gaze on the road behind, I will end in disaster. I need to keep my attention on what God is doing today and what lies ahead if I want to have a vital spiritual life.

TODAY’S PRINCIPLE: Monuments to the past are okay, but they are not a place at which to dwell.

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Have a “today” life. Love you.

THANKSGIVING MEDITATION

THANKSGIVING MEDITATION

2016

“Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!”

Psalm 136:1

This Thanksgiving Day, my heart is filled with thanksgiving to God for His goodness.. He is good, and wants the best for His creation.

Anyone who doubts that God is good needs only consider how He endowed the human body – how marvelous and wonderful it is.

Take, for instance, the eyes. Not only do they give us perception of the world around us, they, in coordination with the brain, also judge distance and speed. And the eye itself is a marvelous invention. The pupil opens and closes to allow the proper amount of light into the receptors in the back of the eye. The eye also has cones that distinguish colors that enhance our lives with the gorgeous red and gold sunset, the beauty of a rose, and the azure color of the sky. How impoverished would be our lives without color to bless us. God is good!

Or consider the nose – a multi-functional channel that lets us breath and release sinus drainage. In addition, it has sensors that gather the wonderful smells of baked bread and dinner cooking, perfumes, and the aroma of a flower. What a dull world it would be without the sense of smell. God is good!

Or consider the mouth that is used for speaking, eating, and breathing, But it also has taste buds that allow us to enjoy the marvels of sweet and sour, not to mention the plethora of good foods that God has created for us to enjoy – the persimmon, the orange, the herbs, and pork chops. Life would be barren without the sense of taste. God is good!

I could go on and on. The ear that allows us to hear beautiful music and an encouraging word. The arm that is just the right length to put food in the mouth and also embrace a loved one. Feet that can kick a football and transport a person to various places in the world. The various internal systems that allow the body to function properly without having to be told. All of these show the goodness of a Creator that loves us and gives us good things. Without these God-given blessings, life would be like being a tadpole. God is good!

On this Thanksgiving Day, let us pause to thank God for His goodness, for THE LORD IS GOOD!!!

Love,

Dad

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- LIFE AFTER DEATH

LIFE AFTER DEATH

Matthew 17:3 – “And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with them.”

There is life after death. This was not the first time someone who had died reappeared on earth. When King Saul wanted to talk with Samuel, who had died, he visited a witch at Endor. She held a seance and Samuel appeared and spoke with Saul (I Samuel 28:7-20). As Jesus said, God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He is not the God of the dead, but of the living (Matthew 22:32; Mark 12:27; Luke 20:38). All of these – Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Samuel, the rich man and Lazarus, and a great cloud of witness (Hebrews 12:1) – testify to the fact that when I die, I will not cease to exist, but I will enter another sphere of living. How did the disciples know that this was Moses and Elijah? Somehow, we will know as we are known (I Corinthians 13:12). In heaven, I won’t have the handicap of not being able to remember names and faces. I will know everybody, even without name tags. Hallelujah!!! Jesus offers eternal life to all who believe in Him (John 3:16). As the old Negro Spiritual says, “Soon I will be done wid the troubles ob de world – goin’ home to lib wid God.”

TODAY’S PRINCIPLE: There is life beyond the grave.

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Have a “living” day. Love you.

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- ON THE MOUNTAIN TOP

ON THE MOUNTAIN TOP

Matthew 16:27-28

“Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves, and He was transformed before them. His face shown like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.”

What a tremendous experience that must have been on the mountain top. The brightness of His glory must have been indeed an awesome sight. This revelation of Jesus had a great impact on Peter, and years later he was still writing about it: “And we head this voice which came from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain” (II Peter 1:18). I am so glad for the mountain-top experiences in my own life where Jesus revealed Himself to me in His glory. I remember them and they encourage and strengthen me when I am in the valley. Jesus is the same in the valley as He is on the mountain. But there are those special visitations that I remember, and they support my faith when I am not on the mountain..

TODAY’S PRINCIPLE: Jesus reveals Himself in the moutain-top experiences so that we can remember them in the valley.

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Have a remembering day. Love you.

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- THE DAY OF REWARD

THE DAY OF REWARD

Matthew 16:27-28

“ ‘For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.’ ”

For the person who will “deny himself, take up his cross, and follow” (vs. 24), there is a day of reward coming. The believer in Jesus may not receive much recognition in this world for his sacrifices, but there will be a time when he will be repaid. There is an old proverb which says, “This world is the only heaven a sinner will ever know, and this world is is the only hell a believer will ever know.” I have been truly blessed as a Christian, but whether or not I receive any tangible recognition in this world for my service to Christ, I am looking forward to that day in heaven when He will reward.

TODAY’S PRINCIPLE: The person who lives for Jesus may not receive much reward in this life, but Heaven will repay in abundance.

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Have a “rewarding” day. Love you.

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- LOST AND FOUND

LOST AND FOUND

Matthew 16:25-26

“ ‘For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?’ ”

It is a poor investment strategy to concentrate only on the short term goals and ignore the long term. I may have to sacrifice some of the immediate gratifications to ensure a sufficient retirement account. If I enjoy the pleasure of this life for a short season and miss the glories of heaven for eternity, I am indeed a poor man. “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep for to gain what he cannot lose.” My soul is worth more than anything this world has to offer, and heaven will be worthy any short-term sacrifice. As the old song goes, “Let me lose myself and find it, Lord, in Thee.”

TODAY’S PRINCIPLE: I am a rich man if I lose this life and find heaven.

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Have a lost and found day. Love you.

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- MY CROSS

MY CROSS

Matthew 16:24

“The Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let Him deny himself, and take up His cross, and follow Me.’ ”

There have been many speculations about what it means to “take up one’s cross.” One man said his cross was his mother-in-law. Others think it is an illness or handicap, or situation out of their control.  I personally think that my cross is my flesh, with all its earthly, carnal desires. I carry it with me wherever I go, and I must put it on the cross daily. The cross speaks of death by crucifixion. The Apostle Paul said, “Those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Galatians 5:24). He also said, “I die daily” (I Corinthians 15:31). Even though “our old man was crucified with Christ” (Romans 6:6), for some reason it keeps resurrecting, and I have to keep nailing it again to the cross. “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). Since Jesus love me so much that He endured the cross, how can I not deny myself and take up my cross and follow Him?

TODAY’S PRINCIPLE: Every man must carry his own cross, crucifying the flesh daily.

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Have a “crucified” day. Love you.

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- THE HUMAN PERSPECTIVE

THE HUMAN PERSPECTIVE

Matthew 16:22-23

“Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying ‘Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You’ But He turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me because you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.’ ”

From his human, worldly perspective, Peter was telling Jesus – the One he had just confessed was God – what to do. He was actually being a mouthpiece of Satan. How often I, like Peter, tell God what to do. I sometimes don’t like the way God does things, and from my human perspective, I think I have a better idea, so I tell Him how I think it ought to be done. This only shows that I am not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men. I am faced with the options of accepting God’s plan or being a tool of Satan to fight it. May my prayer always be, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

TODAY’S PRINCIPLE: God’s way is always the best way, even when I don’t understand it.

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Have a “God’s perspective” day. Love you.

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- THE FUTURE BEGINNING

THE FUTURE BEGINNING

Matthew 16:21

“From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.”

The things that Jesus would suffer at the hands of the authorities in Jerusalem did not catch Him by surprise. He knew what lay ahead of Him – His suffering and His crucifixion. So He prepared His followers so that they would not be caught unaware. But His passion was not the end of the story. Resurrection was coming, which would begin a whole new dimension of God’s plan. It seems that the Holy Spirit is today preparing the followers of Jesus for future suffering at the hands of the ungodly. Dark days lay ahead. God said that “in the last days perilous times would come” (II Timothy 3:1). I hear many voices warning the Church that persecution and suffering lies ahead. But there is light at the end of the tunnel – Resurrection! Death is not the end – it is only the beginning of God’s great plan for the future.

TODAY’S PRINCIPLE: Even in the face of perilous times, Christ’s followers have hope for the future.

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Have a hopeful day. Love you.

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- PERONAL REVELATIONS

PERSONAL REVELATIONS

Matthew 16:20

“Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.”

The time had not yet come for Jesus’ messiahship to be revealed to the masses. It was a revealed to His close group – not to everyone. His messiahship would be revealed on a larger scale when the time was ready. There are some insights and revelations that God speaks to my heart that are meant for me alone, and not for anyone else. There have been times when I tried to share with other people some spiritual truth that God had illuminated to my own heart, but because they were not on the same page, they received my revelation with a blank stare. They could not understand nor share my excitement of what God had shown me in His Word. This does not mean that I should not witness about the Lord Jesus as Savior, because that is not a personal revelation. But I need to be careful where I cast my personal pearls of insight, lest they be trampled underfoot. In God’s divine timing and purposes, He can reveal those insights to other people. In the meantime, I need to keep personal revelations to myself.

TODAY’S PRINCIPLE: Some revelations are personal and need to be kept personal.

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Have a “personal revelation” day. Love you.

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- KEYS OF THE KINGDOM

KEYS OF THE KINGDOM

Matthew 16:19

“ ‘And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’ ”

There are many ideas of the meaning of this verse. I’m not sure of all the ramifications, but I think there are three keys that are necessary to unlock the storehouse of heaven: God’s Word, Faith and Prayer. God’s Word tells us what God’s will is so we will know what needs to be bound and loosed. Faith is the assurance that He will do it. And Prayer is the avenue God uses to set in motion the releasing of His will on earth. All three are essential. I need to by faith bind and loose the things that God wants to bind and loose.

TODAY’S PRINCIPLE: The keys of the kingdom of heaven are essential to see God’s will done on earth.

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Have a "key" day.   Love you.

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- THE CHURCH IS ALIVE

THE CHURCH IS ALIVE

Matthew 16:18

“ ‘And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hades shall not prevail against it.’ ”

Satan has tried to get rid of the church for 2000 years, but still it stands. Jesus is building His church despite all the forces that hell tries to erect against it. Jesus is building His church in China even though the government has tried to eradicate it. Muslims and Hindu try to persecute the church out of existence, but still it grows. Secular liberals in America want to see the church marginalized out of civil discourse in the hope that it will die. But Jesus will build His church in spite of all that Satan tries to do to stop it, because the church is built on the foundation of the faith that Peter proclaimed: Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.

TODAY’S PRINCIPLE: The Church of Jesus Christ will grow regardless of all that hell tries to do to stop it.

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Have a growing day. Love you.

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- WHO IS JESUS?

WHO IS JESUS?

Matthew 16:13-16

“When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, ‘Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?’ So they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered and said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ ”

The question still hangs in the air: “Who is Jesus?” I don’t imagine most people give it much thought. If they do, He is to them only a historical person shrouded in the mist of the past, or a prophet who taught good ideas, or a mythical figure who never existed. But to me, Jesus is the living Savior, Lord and King. He is my judge, my friend, my healer, my righteousness, my provider, the lover of my soul. He is the center of my life, my reason for living, the core of my being. He is my God and is worthy of all my worship and praise and love. He is the Christ, the Son of the living God.

TODAY’S PRINCIPLE: The answer to the question, “Who Is Jesus?”, is determined by our relationship with Him.

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Have a Jesus day. Love you.

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- LIVING BY FAITH

LIVING BY FAITH

Matthew 16:5

“Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.’ And they reasoned among themselves, saying, ‘It is because we have taken no bread.’ ”

The disciples must have had the same problem I have – poor memory. How could they forget to take food? So they kicked themselves for their irresponsibility and lack of foresight. It was not too long ago that they had seven basketsful of bread left over from the feeding of the four thousand (Matthew 15:37). What happened to all that food? Since they brought no food, they would have to trust Jesus to provide. Jesus turned this incident into a teaching moment to highlight the doctrine of the Sadducees and Pharisees (vs. 12) which depended on their works to please God rather than their faith in God. Living by faith does not depend on how good I do, but it is trusting God even in my failures. I fail so often, but God keeps showing me how faithful He is to provide. He is more interested in my faith in Him than in my performance. How gracious God is!

TODAY’S PRINCIPLE: Living by faith does not depend on how well I perform but on how much I trust God.

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Have a trusting day.    Love you. 

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- THE SIGN

THE SIGN

Matthew 16:1-2a, 4

“Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven. And He said to them …. ‘A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.’ ”

The Pharisees and Sadducees had plenty of signs indicating that Jesus was the promised Messiah. The miracles that followed His ministry – healing and deliverance, feeding the multitudes, a voice from heaven declaring that He was God’s beloved Son – should have been enough to cause them to believe, even as the signs of the clouds in the sky signaled the weather (vss. 2-3). Their problem was not in having no signs; it was their deliberate choice to not believe. There would be one great sign of the prophet Jonah – His Resurrection from the dead. But even that would not be enough to make them believe. What more could they ask for? People reject Jesus, not because there is no proof of His divinity, but in spite of the proof, in order to live their own immoral lives without the demands of His lordship.  I choose to believe the sign.

TODAY’S PRINCIPLE: God has given The sign of Jesus’ divinity – His resurrection, yet many refuse to believe in Him.

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Have a believing day. Love you.

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- SENIOR MOMENTS

SENIOR MOMENTS

Matthew 15:33

“Then His disciples said to Him, “Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?’ ”

What short memories the disciples had! It was not that long ago that Jesus had performed the miracle of feeding the 5,000 (Matthew 14:13-21). Here they are again, in the same predicament with a multitude of people in a deserted place with no food except a few loaves of bread some and some fish. They apparently forgot how Jesus had multiplied the loaves and fish to meet the need, with basketsful left over. So Jesus repeated the miracle. Repetition is a valuable teaching method because I forget so quickly. We all have our “senior moments” -- even young people. God is so patient with me. I forget so quickly how God has met my needs in the past, so He just keeps teaching me by continuing to graciously provide out of His abundance. Maybe some day I will learn to truly trust Him.

TODAY’S PRINCIPLE: God keeps doing miracles, not only because He is compassionate, but also because we are so slow to learn to trust Him.

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Have a “remembering” day. Love you.

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- THE COMPASSION OF JESUS

THE COMPASSION OF JESUS

Matthew 18:32

“Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, ‘I have compassion on the multitude because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.’ ”

Jesus had a heart of compassion, not just for the big things like salvation or healing, but for the everyday needs of life. Here were people who were simply hungry, and He was concerned they might not have enough strength to get home. He still has a heart of compassion. “We do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses...” (Hebrews 4:15). He is touched with my needs, whether the big things like spiritual or physical needs, or the daily needs like food and strength. God supplies my needs because He cares, and provides nourishment lest I faint on the way. “But You, O Lord (Adonai), are a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth” (Psalm 86:15).

TODAY’S PRINCIPLE: Jesus cares about all the needs of life.

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Rejoice in God’s provision today. Love you.