So, What Happened on YOUR Way Home from Church? (part two)

Baby/Parent Dedication

Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for thou art with me... Psalm 23.4

Yesterday we left a man hanging, literally! You'll remember the story. It was not your ordinary Sunday afternoon drive home from church!

As we (myself, my wife and a van load of kids) headed back to the scene of the crime in progress I was trying to justify putting my passengers in jeopardy. Immediately in front of me I noticed that a car with a couple of big burley guys had also made the quick U-turn. I hoped that they were those "Angels unawares" that Hebrews talks about, those angels who come to the rescue during ugly situations. They weren't, or at best they were hesitant angels if angels at all. They actually looked more like "Hell's Angels" as I think about it!

Anyway, I pulled over and quickly exited the van to notice that on my approach the two "thumping thugs" had high-tailed it. They'd hopped on a bike and split the scene. The beaten man had staggered to his feet and was crying, "I can't go after those guys! I want to go after those guys!"

This guy looked strangely familiar. Despite his bloodied head, face, T shirt and his glazed eyes, I recognized this guy!

[Flash back]

September 20, 2009, a young couple stands in front of our small congregation with their newborn baby boy. It was Faith's first baby dedication. The man and woman were both new to the faith. We had talked to them about the meaning of dedicating their little one to the Lord sharing that in fact this event was more of a "Parent Dedication" than a baby dedication. This couple, to date, had experienced a tragic life in many different ways. However, this afternoon they both agreed that they were ready to take this solemn vow. Both stated that they wanted to raise their little one into a new life and in "The Way of Jesus Christ."

[Flash forward]

Just over six month later here I stood looking into the drunken and bloodied eyes of that very man! These six months had revealed his heart. There had been no saving faith change in his life. He had indeed chosen a path but it wasn't God's it was his own. His path had lead to drink, drugs, fighting and tragedy and at this very moment he was bloodied and helpless.

Where does your path find you today? Were there great plans to become something for the Savior. Were there vows that have never been fulfilled? I have always said that until death comes there is always a chance to change ones ways. However, I have discovered that the Bible says differently. One example is in Genesis 6.3 where God says, "My spirit shall not always strive with man..." There is a limit to God's patience. Don't test it! He places a limit on our waywardness. The difficulty comes as we try and stretch the limits of His grace and tread into darkness without becoming damaged. I believe that it was Bob Jones Sr. who once said, "Sin will always take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you plan to stay, and cost you more than you ever thought you'd pay." Please dear friend heed those wise words today and turn from your mutiny.

I'll finish my story tomorrow.

God Made Clothes

And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them. Gen 3:21 I have always heard the following explanation of this verse. Because Adam and Eve had sinned, they died spiritually. They also lost the right to be in the Garden of Eden and were cursed in other ways. For example, they had made clothes out of fig leaves, but God sacrificed a lamb; thus, God shed blood and made clothes. This sacrifice of an innocent lamb symbolized what Jesus Christ would do in the distant future. Is this what you have heard? I don't know; it seems like this interpretation is stretching what Moses wrote in the above text. The text says that God made clothes for Adam and his wife from skins. We see no blood, we don't know what kind of skins, nor can I imagine God making an animal sacrifice. Did God have to skin animals to make these clothes? Or could he have just made them like he had everything else in the universe just a little while earlier? To th...

What Are You Worth?

What are you Worth? Have you ever thought about what you are worth? In investing circles there is a term used to gauge this exact question, it's called Net Worth. You take all of your assets, like property owned, funds in your bank account, clothes, jewelry, car, etc.. You total all of these things. You then take everything you owe, like mortgage, car loan, and credit card debt, and you subtract these items from the first total. This gives you your net worth. That number represents where you are financially. Most people never stop to think about this number because they don't understand anything about it. They never have two nickels to rub together. They live from hand to mouth and know (or at least believe) nothing will ever change so, they fall into the "daily grind" mentality. Psalm 49 should be a great encouragement to such as these. The sons of Korah write about them. These sons write about all of us. They call all people everywhere to listen to their wisdom. Bo...

Who did What?

We see Abraham lying at times. He twice told people that his wife was his sister. He was worried that someone might kill him because his old wife was so beautiful. In the text that I read today, he comes into territory ruled by Abimelek and tells the great fib. Not too long afterward, the king takes Sarah into his harem. Lately, I have become interested in real estate investing and have learned quite a bit in the last few years. One crucial lesson acquired was that I need to treat investing as a business and not have too many sentimental attachments. Years ago, I would rent with a "charitable" mindset. I kept the rent low on my only rental because I was "helping people (friends) out." I kept that rent low for 20 years. For those years, that rent never moved from $650 a month. Granted, we could keep the property and barely pay the maintenance and taxes, but the rent was low. It wasn't until I turned that property over to a property manager that I realized what ...

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