Jan 07

When Your Greatest Teacher is a 3 Year Old

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It was only three short years ago that my life was completely turned upside down. Most of the time when this happens it’s never a good thing. Having your world turned upside down usually involves some aspect of heartache and pain, but not this time. On January 6th, 2012 at 8:19 a.m. God blessed Miranda and me with a little baby boy. Little did I know that this small bundle of joy would be one of my greatest teachers; a teacher from whom I would learn some of life’s most important lessons more fully.

As a parent you are suppose to teach your children, to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Eph. 6:4). That was and still is my plan for Caden. However, in the three short years he has been a part of our lives, he has taught me much about some of life’s greatest lessons. He has taught me about love, patience, care, concern, affection, kindness, joy and a host of other things. But, perhaps the greatest lesson of all deals with God’s love.

I have always been told about how much God loves me. As a minister, I have spent a great amount of time telling others how much God loves them as well. However, until I had my own son, I don’t think I ever truly understood the depth of God’s love for me.

The apostle John wrote, “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (I John 4:9-11).

God’s love for us as His children is unlike any kind of human love. I love my son with all my heart. And yet, as much as we love our children, it fails in comparison to the love God has for us as His children. His love for us propelled Him to offer His only son as a sacrifice for sin so we could have hope of salvation from the wages of our own sins. According to Paul, the wages of our sins is death (Rom. 6:23).

Friends, God loves YOU so much He was willing to offer up His only son to suffer humiliation, shame, torture and even death so you might be able to spend an eternity with Him. Jesus himself said, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

God loves the whole world and every one living in therein. And yet, although His love is universal, His abounding love is very much personal towards each one of us. Augustine said, “God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.”

The love of God is truly hard to comprehend. The closest I have come to comprehending God’s love for me is by examining the love I have for my one and only son. It is an amazing kind of love; a kind of love that would propel me to do anything for him and his well-being.

Yesterday my son Caden celebrated his 3rd birthday. I don’t know where the last three years have gone, but it has been the greatest three years of my life. I hope and pray God will bless our family with many more wonderful years together. With those years may God work through my son to teach me many more important lessons along the way, lessons I might otherwise never truly understand.

Happy 3rd birthday, Caden! Daddy loves you more than words can say.

 

Dec 04

PLEASE…No More Pain: Longing for the Day of Glory

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The last 4 days have been unusually difficult. It was just a little over 4 days ago that a beloved dentist and brother in Christ from my former days in Middle Tennessee lost his life while out on a morning bike ride with a friend. What was supposed to be a typical morning quickly turned into a nightmare for one family. To make matters worse for this family, their son was involved in a near fatal motorcycle accident only a few months earlier and is still not fully recovered from his accident.

I did what many of you probably do when you hear of someone passing from this life, I prayed for the family and asked God to bring the comfort that only He can provide to this hurting family who now must spend the holidays without a husband, father and friend.

Then something else happened. Tuesday afternoon two Knox County buses were involved in an accident that sent nearly two dozen children to local hospitals and took the life of three others (an adult school aid and two young children). I am heartbroken for all those involved and their families. As a parent, I cannot begin to image the pain and agony those families must be feeling right now. They put their children on the bus that morning fully expecting to see them get off the same bus that afternoon. For some families, that never happened.

And just when I was starting to finish up my work for the day, something else happened. My wife informed me that our neighbors had just received some pretty devastating news. Only a couple of days earlier they were celebrating their son’s 11th birthday. Last night, they were praying for God to work a miracle in the life of this same son. Their son was diagnosed with a malignant tumor on his skull. Due to the size and nature of this rapidly growing cancer, he will need to receive chemotherapy and radiation immediately before they can perform surgery to remove all the tumor.

As I arrived home last night, I hugged my wife while trying to fight back the tears. I didn’t say much, I just held her tight. Then I walked over to my son and picked him up. Usually daddy comes home and immediately chases him around the living room while he looks for a place to hide. On this night though, I didn’t want to chase my son. I simply wanted to hold him in my arms and never let him go.

As I sit here today and reflect on the events of the past couple of days, I am reminded of a few lessons I sometimes easily forget.

  1. Life is short. James tells us our lives are like a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away (Jam. 4:14). We need to cherish every moment we have with those we love because we never know when it will be the last moment we are able to spend with them.
  2. Satan is an ever-present entity whose main desire is to rip the faith we hold dear right out of our hearts. He wants nothing more than to bring sadness, heartache and pain into our lives in hopes that we will turn our backs on God. Remember Job? Satan told God the only reason Job was so faithful was because God had placed a hedge around him and his house. Then Satan went and attacked Job and his family in hopes of destroying his faith (Job 1:6-22). This is the same hope Satan has for you and me today. He wants nothing more than for us to turn our backs on our heavenly Father.
  3. God is always there for us. In our darkest hour, it’s easy for us to want to blame God for not being there for us and for not having our backs. The truth is God was, is and always will be there (Matt. 28:20; Heb. 13:5). He has never once left us alone, even during our darkest hours. When we hurt, God hurts. Likewise, when we rejoice, God rejoices. God loves you and me and will be there for us during every step of our journey (Rom. 8:38-39).
  4. The pain of this life is temporary. Just as our lives are but a vapor on this earth, so is the pain that comes with living here. We may hurt today, but for Christians the day is coming when God will remove all our pain and never allow us to feel pain again. John wrote, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever” (Rev. 21:4). What a glorious day that will be!

I woke up this morning hoping the last few day were just a dream, but they weren’t. Each tragedy really happened and the families affected are still grieving this morning and will continue to grieve for a long time to come. Please join me in praying for these families in the difficult days that lie ahead. The road will be rough and they will certainly need our prayers.

Friends, may we all cherish the time we have with those we love while on earth and long for the day of glory where there will be no more heartache or pain ever again.

Nov 12

I Need You and You Need Me

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Have you ever felt alone? If so, you understand how this one emotion can create a roller coaster of negative thoughts and feelings in one’s life. We hate being alone. Sure, there are times we probably prefer to be alone; after all, sometimes you just need to get away. However, at its very core, no one desires to be alone.

When God was finished creating the world and everything in it, He looked over it all and “Behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). God was proud of His creation, at least, until He saw that Adam was alone. Then God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him” (Genesis 2:18). Although the context of this passage involves the marriage relationship, it’s apparent God didn’t intend for us to go though this life alone. God saw we would need help along the way and decided to take action.

Whether we want to admit it or not, we need other people. We need other people to help us with our physical, emotional and spiritual needs. Solomon, the wisest man to ever live, wrote, “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10).

Yes, it is true…I need you and you need me. To get through this life with all its difficulties and trials, we need to rely on other people. God knew this was the case and gave us exactly what we needed, one another. I’m grateful God saw the blessing of having other people involved in our lives.

Now that’s Something to Think About!

Oct 07

Moved to Act

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What would you do if your home was unprotected from outsiders? Would you just leave your home as is, or would you do whatever was necessary to ensure your home was protected even if it was inconvenient for you?

When Nehemiah learned of the situation in Jerusalem and how the city was still in ruins because the walls were broken down and the gates were destroyed by fire (Neh. 1:3), he was heartbroken. Those were his people and Judah was where his ancestors were buried (Neh. 2:3). He couldn’t just sit back, pretend he didn’t know what was happening and do nothing.

After months of prayer and fasting, Nehemiah went before the king and requested a leave of absence in order to travel hundreds of miles back to Judah and to rebuild (Neh. 2:1-8). With just a quick reading of the text it may be easy for us to miss the significance of Nehemiah’s request. First, he was willing to appear sad in heart before the king which was forbidden. Second, he was willing to make some pretty bold requests of the king for provisions (papers for safe passage and timber for the rebuilding project). Third, he was willing to give up a position many people would love to have in the king’s court. Being the cupbearer in the king’s court was a great honor and one only for those who were considered trustworthy. Most likely with this position came access to private information and considerable wealth (Neh. 5:14-18).

Why would Nehemiah want to put his life on the line and go before the king and make such bold requests? Why would Nehemiah allow his life to be inconvenienced by the happenings back in Jerusalem? It appears he was so deeply concerned about the people back in Jerusalem, he had to act.

What moves you to act? Are you moved to act out of concern for what’s going on around you or are you only moved to act when and if it is convenient? Nehemiah’s concern for Jerusalem and her people led him to take action in spite of the inconvenience it demanded. May we all be moved to act courageously, even when it’s an inconvenience to our lives.

Now that’s Something to Think About!

QUESTION: What are some things that move you to act even though it may cause an inconvenience to your life?

Aug 14

You’re in Good Company

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Have you ever had a bad experience with someone solely because of something you taught from the Bible? As a preacher and teacher, this happens more often than most people realize. When someone starts a personal attack on one who publicly teaches the truths of God’s Word, it generally stems from the fact that they do not like what is being taught.
Remember the prophets of old? Their message was never popular. Most of them were persecuted and some even killed because of the message they delivered.

  1.  Elijah had to run for his life from the wicked queen Jezebel (I Kgs. 19:1-8).
  2. Most scholars believe Isaiah was sawn in two (Heb. 11:36-38).
  3. Jeremiah was beaten, cursed and thrown in prison by his own people (Jer. 11:18-12:6; 20:1-6; 32:1-3; 38:1-13).
  4. John the Baptist was beheaded by Herod (Matt. 14:1-12).
  5. All of the apostles are believed to have died for their faith with the exception of the beloved apostle John.

Although most people I know, including myself, have never been persecuted to the extent of the prophets mentioned above, standing for the truth and presenting that truth sometimes comes with a price (2 Tim. 3:12). Some people will personally attack you and your family when you teach on a topic that hits too close to home (divorce, homosexuality, abortion, priorities, parenting, attendance, etc.).
Paul said, “I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching” (2 Tim. 4:1-2).
It is a given, people who publicly teach God’s Word will often be ostracized because of the message they present. Instead of backing down or stopping all together, our job is to endure the suffering and criticism that comes and continue to preach the truths of God’s Word. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matt. 5:10-12). Remember, next time you are attacked because you teach God’s Word, you’re in good company.

Now that’s Something to Think About!