DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- REJOICE!

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – REJOICE

"Then the seventh returned with joy, saying, 'Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.' And He said to them, 'I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because our names are written in heaven.'" (Luke 10 17-20)

Just imagine the exhilaration and excitement as the disciples returned to Jesus after such a successful ministry. They had received a mandate from the Lord Jesus and the authority to do miracles – to "heal the sick" (vs. 9a). Why, they even cast demons out of people. My, oh, my, that must have been glorious.

But Jesus reminded them that miracles were not the most important thing in their ministry. The miracles were only a prelude to the message – "The kingdom of God has come near to you" (vs. 9b). The most important thing is that people hear and receive the Gospel. We can get so wrapped up in the peripheral things that we lose sight of the most important – Salvation.

Perhaps this was also a warning against pride. It is so easy to get an inflated ego when we see people moved by our words and great miracles done by our hands. A special touch. A powerful word. Faith that seems to have no limits. But the greatest thing is not the crowds or miracles of healing and deliverance, but the miracle of salvation – names written in heaven.

May our message never be overshadowed by God's marvelous blessings. No matter how successful our evangelism outreach seems or how many people flock to hear us, the focus must always be the Gospel – that the Kingdom of God has come in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Our rejoicing is not in seeing great manifestations of God's power, but that our names are written in heaven.

Love, Dad

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- SINKING WORDS

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – SINKING WORDS

"And they were all amazed at the majesty of God. But while everyone marveled at all the things which Jesus did, He said to His disciples, 'Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men.' But they did not understand this saying, and it was hidden from them so that they not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this saying." (Luke 9:43-45)

Jesus wanted His words to sink down into the hearts of His disciples. How many times did Jesus tell his disciples that he was going to be betrayed, put to death – even crucified – and they did not get it? According to my calculations, I count at least nine times in the Gospels when Jesus predicted his betrayal, suffering, death, and resurrection (taking into account that the Gospel writers sometimes refer to the same event). In fact, just a few verses earlier in this chapter in Luke, Jesus told his disciples that " 'the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day' " (Luke 9:21). Over and over, he told them, but it did not register with them. They just didn't get it.

It was not until after the death and resurrection that they understood what Jesus had been trying to tell them. The angel at the tomb said, " 'Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.' And they remembered His words" (Luke 24:6-8). They were "slow of heart to believe" that the Christ had to suffer these things (Luke 24:27).

How often do we hear a message and it goes over our heads. Ask the average Christian on Monday what the sermon was on Sunday, and they will scratch their heads, trying to remember. In one ear, and out the other! Sometimes, we have heard the message so many times that we tune it out. Sometimes we don't understand it. Sometimes we don't want to hear the message.

May the word of Christ sink down deep into our ears and hearts. This is especially important if we have been a Christian for a long time and have heard a thousand sermons. As the Apostle wrote, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly" (Colossians 3:16).

Love, Dad

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- AN INVESTMENT STRATEGY

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – AN INVESTMENT STRATEGY

"Then He said to them all, 'If anyone desire to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?" (Luke 9:23-25)

People pay great prices to gain the things of this world that seem important to them, but in the end their lives are lost or destroyed. We look around us and see it happening again and again. They sacrifice their health, their relationship, their integrity for things that will not last. The person may be outwardly successful with all the good things of life that money can offer. But they are bankrupt when it comes to things that are truly important – faith, family and a clean conscience. So what is worth gaining the whole world and losing one's soul?

But the loss goes far beyond this life. It stretches into eternity. Ignoring the things of eternal value for the pleasures of this passing world does not seem to me to be a very good long-term investment strategy. Short-term investments may have some reward, but the long-term investments are the ones that last.

That's why Jesus said, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also….Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" (Matthew 6:19-21, 33). Paul echoed this thought when he said, "If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth" (Colossians 3:1-2).

Long term investments keep your retirement goals in view. As the church sign reads, "Work for God; the retirement benefits are out of this world." Following Christ has rewards both in this world and in the next. So why would I want to invest only in this world when I can have both in Christ?

Love, Dad

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- WHO IS THIS MAN?

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – GHOSTS FROM THE PAST – WHO IS THIS MAN?

"Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Him (Jesus); and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen again. Herod said, 'John I have beheaded, but who is this of whom I hear such things?' So he sought to see Him." (Luke 9:7-9)

Herod was troubled by Jesus. Matthew records that Herod truly believed that Jesus was actually John the Baptist who had come back to life (Matthew 14:1-2). He knew that he had killed John the Baptist. He had seen John's head on a platter after his beheading. So it was no mere idle curiosity that caused Herod to want to see this Jesus. Who was the Jesus? He was at a loss as what to think about this. He was thoroughly nonplussed – baffled – flummoxed. He was troubled in his mind by the thought that maybe John the Baptist really had come back to haunt him.

I don't want to go into flights of fancy, but I wonder if there wasn't another ghost from the past that clouded Herod's thinking. He knew the promises of a King who would come to deliver Israel. The prophets had spoken it. And he was no doubt familiar with the story of another Herod – his father – who had a meeting with some sages from the East 30 years earlier who had come looking for this King of the Jews. But no, this couldn't be that promised Messiah. His father had slaughtered the children of an entire city to make sure that this King could not live to challenge him. So, then, who was this man? It must be the ghost of John the Baptist.

Later in the narrative, when Jesus was on trial on His way to the cross, Pilate sent Jesus to Herod. "Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad; for he had desired for a long time to see Him, because he had heard many things about Him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him. Then he questioned Him with many words, but He answered him nothing...Then Herod, with his men of war, treated Him with contempt and mocked Him, arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and sent Him back to Pilate" (Luke 23:8-10). Herod plied Him with questions – probably among them, "Who are You? Where do you come from?" But Jesus remained silent. They put a splendid robe on Jesus – one fit for a king, and mocked Him. Herod could not figure this whole thing out.

No matter how people try to hide their past, it comes back to haunt them. They cannot get rid of the evil they have done, and it causes them to think weirdly. It can cause all kinds of psychological problems. Herod could get no rest from his sin against John the Baptist.

Even today, there are many people who are baffled by the question: "Who is this Jesus?" Agur, the sage who wrote Proverbs Chapter 30, might have been as perplexed as Herod and the unbeliever of today when he wrote: "Surely I more stupid than any man, and do not have the understanding of a man. I neither learned wisdom nor have knowledge of the Holy One. Who has ascended into heaven, or descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fist? Who has bound the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is His Son's name, if you know?" (Proverbs 3-:1-3).

Today, it is no mystery. I can say with certainty that His name is Jesus. To the believer, He is not just a myth or a fantasy or a ghost. He is God. He is Savior. He is Lord.

Love, Dad

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- A STORY TO TELL

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – A STORY TO TELL

"Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him. But Jesus sent him away, saying, 'Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you.' And he went his way and proclaimed through the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him." (Luke 8:39)

Everybody has a story and each story is different. Your story is different than mine. But each is unique. They are like fingerprints – no two are alike.

I have recently been reading the autobiography of Mike Lindell, the developer of My Pillow. You have no doubt seen his ads on TV. They are ubiquitous. It is an amazing story of a man's slow slide into addiction to alcohol, coke and crack, and gambling, bound by the demons of his own addictions. But he was changed by the power of God and is now a successful businessman.

The man who was delivered from demons had a unique story to tell of how Jesus delivered him. Luke does not tell us how the man's decline into demon possession began, but when Jesus came, he was insane, naked, living in a graveyard. The people tried to control him by binding him with chains, but under the demons' power, he broke the shackles.

When Jesus came, the man was in a miserable condition – controlled by his own demons. Jesus took authority over the demons and the man was set free. No longer was he under the power of demonic forces. Now he was liberated to the freedom of Jesus. This man had a wonderful deliverance. He wanted to stay with Jesus. But God had other plans for his life. Jesus told him to go back to his people and tell the story of his deliverance. That is what witnessing is – telling our story of the great things God has done for us – of God's grace and deliverance from sin.

In Mark's Gospel, he recorded that the man "departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him" (Mark 5:20). The area of the Gadarenes is also identified as Gerasenes or Gergesenes (as in Matthew 8:28). This was on the east side of the Sea of Galilee and was part of the Decapolis (Ten Cities). He apparently did a good job of spreading his story because when Jesus came back to this region, his ministry was well-received (see Matthew 15:28-31; Mark 8:31-37).

We also have a story. The particulars may be different, but the basic deliverance is the same. Jesus has delivered us from the bondage of sin. And we have that story to tell.

Love, Dad

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- FORGIVEN

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – FORGIVEN

"Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little." (Luke 7:47)

This one of my favorite incidents in Jesus' ministry. To get the impact of this verse, we need to go back and get the context.

Here's the picture. Jesus was invited to the house of a Pharisee for dinner. As they were eating, a woman slipped into the room, hiding in the shadows. She happened to be a woman of disrepute in the city. She moved out of the darkness to stand at Jesus' feet. Weeping, she washed Jesus' feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. She had an alabaster box filled with expensive fragrant oil, which she opened and poured on his feet.

The Pharisee evidently knew the woman – a sinner, perhaps a prostitute. One has to wonder if perhaps he had used her services. He was incensed that Jesus would allow her to touch Him if He was truly a prophet. Jesus spoke a parable to the Pharisee. " 'There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denari (margin: $16,000) and the other fifty ($1,600). And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?' " Simon was caught. He had to answer the obvious – the one who was forgiven more.

The Jesus zeroed in on Simon. Simon had not treated Jesus with the normal respect required in the culture for a guest in his home: of washing Jesus' feet, nor given Him a kiss of greeting, nor anointed Him with oil. But this woman loved Jesus so much that she washed and kissed His feet with tears, and anointed His feet with the oil she had brought. Then Jesus drove the nail home: "She loves much because Her sins, which are many, are forgiven. But the person who loves little thinks he has been forgiven little." Simon must have cringed at the sharp rebuke Jesus gave.

The obvious insight is that the person who is forgiven much loves much, and the person who doesn't understand how much he has been forgiven loves little. How much I love Jesus depends on how well I understand how much I have been forgiven. I confess that I am a dirty rotten sinner, and that I have been forgiven much. I love the Lord Jesus because in His mercy and His grace, He has forgiven all my transgressions and paid the debt for my sin. Oh, what forgiveness!!! Oh, what a Savior!!!

On this Good Friday, let us remember the awful cost the Lord Jesus paid for our Salvation.

Love, Dad

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- SCRUB-BRUSH

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – Scrub-brush

"Judge not and you will not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven…." (Like 6:37)

This is perhaps one of the most misused verses in the Bible. How often do we hear people say, "You have no right to judge me.  After all, doesn't the Bible say not to judge?"

So does this mean that we are not to judge anyone or anything? Of course not. We are called to discern false teachers. And we are to make distinctions between what is right and wrong, holy and unholy. We make judgments all the time and we can rightly judge and condemn what is ungodly.

So what does it mean? It means censorious judging, critically picking at another person's faults while ignoring our own. That's why Jesus said to remove the log in our own eye before we try to remove the speck in another person (see verses 41-42).

If there is any judging that needs to take place, it should be of myself. We are admonished: "If we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged" (I Corinthians 11:31).

Self-judging is not human nature. We love to pinpoint other peoples' failures while glossing over our own. It is the pride in myself that overlooks my own shortcomings and concentrates on someone else's. It takes a spirit-filled mind to forgive another person's faults without condemnation.

To tell the truth, I have plenty of judging of myself to keep me busy, instead of trying to correct everyone else. I don't just have a log in my eye. I have forest. If you drive through the mountains of Oregon, you will see places where the hills are completely bare of trees. In areas where lumber is harvested, lumbermen often cut down everything, leaving the mountainside stark naked. It is called "clear-cutting." I need to clear my own forest first before trying to remove a scrub-brush from someone else.

I don't like to be judged, so I shouldn't judge others. May God help me to not have a critical spirit, and leave the judging to Him.

Love, Dad