Author: londavis@hotmail.com

Folks usually say that John 11:35 is the shortest verse in the Bible, “Jesus wept.” They are right, but our reading today is one of the other short in the Bible.

It is 1 Thessalonians 5:16, “Rejoice always.” 

Why would we choose such a short verse for commentary? Because the tenor of your life is affected by how you follow this verse. Let me explain.

At the end of your life there will be many things you have loved to do, or have, or see, or experience. Things that you will remember fondly. If you could only go back in time and do those things just for an hour, they would bring you great joy. But you can’t. 

In fact, those great, everyday experiences of your life, are remembered only in the cloud of all the times you had, but you do not remember the last day you sat in the high school class. You do not remember the last time you got to make home-made ice-cream. You do not remember the last time you ate at your favorite restaurant.

Mostly, when it was happening, you didn’t feel the real joy you would now.  We only have one defense against wasted opportunities for every joy. That defense is to simply “rejoice always.”

 I remember the last time I picked up Jeremy in my arms and carried him to bed. He was probably 5 feet tall and weighted around 100 pounds. He fell asleep on the couch. I reached down to pick him up. Liz told me to wake him and he will walk to bed. I told her no that this was the last time I would get to do this. It was a struggle, but I still remember the joy of that moment.

I don’t remember that time with my girls because I was not as old or as wise. I just let that moment fly by.

So far all those ordinary experiences you will have today. “Rejoice always.” It may be the last time you get to have that experience. Time goes by fast.

Lonnie Davis

Our scripture reading for today is one that was revered by people so much in the long ago that the record of it was kept in a special place near the temple of God. Today it is not revered. When people read the Bible and come to this text, they often skim over it and go to whatever is next. Nevertheless, today I want to challenge you to hear it.

Matthew 1:1-6

This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham: 

Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, 

Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, 

Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, 

Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, 

Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife,

Reading of genealogies are uninteresting to people today. We skip over them and go to the next text. That’s too bad. Often beautiful lessons and people are found in those reading of who begat who.

Let me point out one of these today. It is act of love that God included some of the names that are in this reading. There are names we expect, like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and King David. There are also some names that might surprise us.

The names are Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and the woman who had been Uriah’s wife. Later in the reading we find another woman mentioned, Mary, the mother of Jesus.

It is unusual for women to be named in genealogies. The naming of these women teach us about God. These were women whose history was flawed.

Tamar was a Cannannite women who posed as a prostitute to seduce Judah (Ge 38:13-30). 

Rahab (v. 5) was a Gentile and a prostitute (Jos 2:1). 

Ruth (v. 5) was a Moabite woman (Ru 1:3) and thus her offspring were forbidden to enter the assembly of the Lord for 10 generations (Dt 23:3).

Bathsheba (“Uriah’s wife,” v. 6) committed adultery with David (2Sa 11). 

Mary   (v. 16) who bore the stigma of pregnancy outside of wedlock. 

Each of these women show us that God loves us, no matter what we have done. What we do from now on is what matters to God. It was true with theses women and it is with you and me.

This genealogies show us God’s grace.

Our text for today is:Proverbs 3:13-15

Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. 

Give me the choice between wisdom and  knowledge and I will choose wisdom. The following story will illustrate the need for wisdom.

I once read the story of a man from the department of the interior who was sent out to inspect the water resources for all the ranches in his territory. He stopped at a Texas ranch and talked to an old rancher. “I need to inspect your ranch for your water allocation.” The rancher told him, “Well, that will be fine, but just don’t go into that field over there.”

The government man said, “Mister, I have the authority of the government with me.” He took out his wallet and flashed a badge at him. “See this badge,” he said. “This badge means I can go wherever I want to go! No questions asked or answered.” He paused and then said, “Have I made myself clear? Do you understand?”

The old rancher nodded politely and went about his chores. Later the old rancher heard loud screams and saw the government man running for his life. Close behind him was the rancher’s bull. The bull was gaining ground with every step.

The government man was clearly terrified so the old rancher threw down his tools, ran to the fence and yelled at the top of his lungs, “Your badge! Show him your badge.”

The moral to this story is “just because you can do something does not mean that it is the right thing to do.”

Make your own list. There are lots of things you can do, but it will not always be wise to do so. It was not wise for the government agent to go out into that field, but he could. There is a difference between the ability to do something and the wisdom not to do it. 

~Lonnie Davis

There is a old joke that says, “I can resist anything but temptation.” Today’s scripture reading tells us that is not true.

1 Corinthians 10:13

“God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond 
what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also 
provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. 

In other words, you can handle It

It is sad that so many believe that the temptation can be too much. The world loves the idea of temptation being beyond our control and thus has created the idea of addiction. One cannot deny the stranglehold that bad habits can have on us, but most things are not addictions, but rather compulsions. 

You may decide that you do not want to resist the temptation, but it is never greater than you can resist. Too often we just give in and then fell back on the excuse of the temptation was too great. How can we know that we can resist any temptation? If you read 1 Corinthians 10:13 you will see that God promises us that He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can handle. 

How can we know that this is always true? The text answers that question – because “God is faithful.” When I claim there was no escape from the temptation then I am accusing God of being unfaithful. He says He will not allow the temptation to be too great for us. We should believe that He is faithful.

In the book of Job, Satan wanted to lash out against Job, but first had to get God’s permission. God told him that he could, but told him how far he could go. 

As hard as things were for Job, God sat boundaries to protect him. After Job passed the first test Satan came back to God to ask for permission to hit Job even harder. Each step of the way God was deciding how much Job could be tempted.

According to our text, He does that for you and me. All of this is implied in the often used phrase, “God will not give us more than we can handle.” Whatever your trial might be, you can handle it. I know this because God is faithful!

Lonnie Davis

Our text is Proverbs 16:22.

“Understanding is a fountain of life to one who has it.”

Let me paraphrase, “If you understand why you do what you do, you will have a better life.”

Did you ever do things and not understand why you did them? 

If your answer is that you do what you do just because you have always done things that way, then maybe you need to reevaluate things.

An experiment was done to cause us to consider ways. Here was the experiment. You start with a cage containing five monkeys. In the cage, hang a banana on a string and put stairs under it. Before long, a monkey will go to the stairs and start to climb towards the banana. As soon as he touches the stairs, spray all of the monkeys with cold water. I know that sounds mean, but stay with me.

After a while, another monkey will make an attempt but will be met with the same response – all of the monkeys are sprayed with cold water. 

Keep this up for several days and then stop spraying the water. Never use the water again. If, later, another monkey tries to climb the stairs, the other monkeys will try to prevent it even though no water sprays them.

Now, remove one monkey from the cage and replace it with a new one. The new monkey sees the banana and wants to climb the stairs. To his horror, all of the other monkeys attack him. After another attempt and attack, he knows that if he tries to climb the stairs, he will be assaulted.

Next, remove another of the original five monkeys and replace it with a new monkey. The newcomer goes to the stairs and is attacked. The previous newcomer who has never experienced the water takes part in the attack.

Do this until all the original monkey have been replaced. Finally there are no monkeys in the cage who have ever been sprayed with water. However, they still attack any monkey who goes for the banana. Finally no monkey ever again approaches the stairs.

Why not? “Because that’s the way it’s always been done around here.”

Hmmm?

Those are truly words worth thinking.

Lonnie Davis

Did you ever wonder what heaven was going to be like, or at least look like? Our scripture today will give you a glimpse into that eternal city.

Revelation 21:10-12

And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.

Now do you know what heaven will look like? Probably not. I have studied those verses and still have no confidence in telling you exactly what heaven will look like. 

Many years ago I read a fascinating story that seems relevant about this question. It told the story of a farmer from the middle of Kansas who went to New York City. None of his family had ever been to the big city and so went he got back, the family all gathered around. “Dad, did you see any skyscrapers?” He told them he had and they asked, “What did they look like?

Since they had never no reference for a skyscraper, he said, “Well, they are tall and skinny.” He paused, then continued, “You know that silo on the Mr. Jones farm? Well, it is just like that, only about 10 times as tall.”

The family felt that they understood what the skyscraper looked like, but you and I know they did not.

I’ve read the text, but I really, really don’t know what heaven will look like. But, it will be a wonderful surprise.

Lonnie Davis

I had a best friend who was the “baby” of his family. He knew he was, but still he did not enjoy being called the “baby” of his family. Fortunately for him, he was a baby only in the sense that he was the youngest of his family, but spiritually he was mature. It is not an insult to be the baby of the family, but we should not long be a “baby” in spirit. That is, never allow  yourself to be an “old baby.”

Are you a old baby in Christ? How would you know if you’re a baby in Christ? To answer that question, let’s read our text for today:

1 Corinthians 3:1-4
Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings?

From tis text we can see 3 signs of Spiritual Immaturity

1. Spiritual Babies need to be taught the same things over and over.

Not only does Paul say that here, but it is also taught in Hebrews 5:12 – 

“For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you a gain the basic principles of the oracles of God.”

We are meant to grow up in our faith. We are always needing to be taught, but not the same things we should have already learned. 

2. Spiritual Babies are always comparing themselves to someone else AND getting jealous. Such a person will not admit to jealousy. They call it by some other name. Maybe it is just “there is something about them I don’t like.” Or perhaps you denigrate the other person – “they think they are better than everyone else.”

3. You choose up teams in the church. 

They are just dividers of people and always have a set of people that don’t get along with. Yes, have your own Peter, James, and John, but love the rest also. Get along with them.

If we love one another, it shows up. One lady used to tell me that her husband loved her and then would all, “He just doesn’t know how to show it.” Really? The truth is that love always shows.

So does spiritual maturity.

Lonnie Davis

Our Text today is Matthew 3:13-17

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. 

As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

If y0u are ever driving down the road and see a car with a symbol of a dove on it, you can assume that you are seeing a car driven by someone who believes in Jesus. 

Where did the Dove symbol have its origin? According to Matthew 3:16, during the Baptism of Jesus the Holy Spirit descended like a dove and came to rest on Jesus. For this reason the dove became a symbol of the Holy Spirit and even of Christianity itself.

I respect that others see the dove in this way, but I have a different suggestion. Suppose instead of a dove, the symbol for Christianity was a butterfly. Why a butterfly, you might ask.

I had this thought the other day when I was again listening to the beautiful story of the caterpillar that changed into a butterfly. In the story, his friends find the old shell of the caterpillar and grieve. The butterfly soaring above wants to tell them he has become something even better. They cannot hear his words, but keep on grieving the loss of their friend.

The point of that story is that we don’t die, we just change to something better. Of course the butterfly dies again and that is where our change is much better. But still it has some obvious implications for a Christian.

These are words worth thinking about.

Lonnie Davis

What Would Jesus Do with Stress

Some days are harder than others. Well, some weeks or some months are especially difficult. I’ve known people fighting battles with illness whose goal was to make it through the year.

Our text today tells of Jesus’ response to a hard place in his life. He walked for days to get to the grave of his friend. When he got there, people he loved were crying. He raised his dead friend from the dead and the response of the powers that be was to seek to kill him.

Under these circumstances we come to our text which shows Jesus’ response to this stressful time.

John 11:54

Therefore Jesus no longer continued to walk publicly among the Jews, but went away from there to the country near the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim; and there He stayed with the disciples.

On this stressful day he did three things:

First: He took care of his needs. 

It is wonderful to take care of everyone else, but there is a time when you have to see to your own needs also.

Second: He retreated

to a place where the threat would not be so immediate. Of course Jesus was not afraid that someone might kill him. He knew that he was born for the cross. He retreated because it wasn’t yet time for the cross.

Third: He went to people who loved him. 

Surely you have people who love you even when the world seems to be against you. Those are the people who when you have hard days, you find comfort by just being around them.

When you find yourself in stress, it means that  you are human. We all get it. These words are a reminder of how Jesus handled stress.

Lonnie Davis

I Was a Lost Sheep

Well, I wasn’t a lost sheep as much as I felt like a lost sheep. I’ll explain after the Bible reading.

Luke 15: 3-6

So He told them this parable, saying, 

“What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? 

“When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. “And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ 

Here is my story of  my time as a lost sheep.

My favorite toy as a youth, was my marine style BB-gun. It wasn’t powerful, but to me it was an army rifle. When I was in the fourth grade, two of my friends and I went hunting in the Big Thicket forest around Porter, TX. 

We walked back and forth around the trail in the woods. After a couple of hours of hunting with our bb-guns, we decided we needed to go back home. Since the trail we were on wound around like a Christmas ribbon candy, we took the short cut, left the known trail, and just cut through the forest. Bad mistake! Within 20 minutes we were lost and darkness was falling. I remember that we had the good sense to save some of our ammunition (bb’s) just in case a mountain lion were to attack us. (I don’t know where any mountain lions can be found in east Texas woods).

Lost and afraid, we walked and prayed for another two hours. Finally we came upon a lighted house in the woods. We knocked on the door and the man drove us back home.

We soon found out that there were search parties out hunting us.

Later I reflected on this event and realized a few things.

1. When you mess up, do your best to help yourself, but as soon as possible ask somebody for help. Thanks to the unknown man who lived in the woods.

2. When you are lost and confused, prayer is a wonderful source to lean on. One might say that we didn’t need prayer because we found the man in the house. But, how do we know whether we found the man because we prayed.

3. When you are struggling, don’t do stupid things. We knew we needed to save our precious ammunition (bb’s) for a possible mountain lion. At least do the best you know to do.

4. Don’t quit! When you are struggling, just keep on trying. There is help waiting for you that you don’t even know about, i.e. The man in the house in the woods and search parties.

Lonnie Davis