londavis@hotmail.com

Do It Anyway!

It was the first Sunday after the crucifixion of Jesus. Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome gathered spices so they could finish the job of anointing the body of Jesus. Just after sunrise they started toward the tomb of Jesus. As the women were nearing the tomb they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?” (Mark 16:3)

The stone in front of the tomb was heavy and these women were not able to move it. They went to the tomb anyway. They did not know who would roll away the stone. They went to the tomb anyway. There were soldiers to guard the tomb. They went to the tomb anyway.

Even the casual observer would say that these women, though they were well intended, did not have all their “ducks in a row.” Why didn’t they get men to go with them to roll away the stone? Why didn’t they ask the rulers if the soldiers would move the stone or else let someone move the stone? They did not have the answers, but they went anyway.

Israel left Egypt with clothes and shoes. They may have had enough to last them for the few weeks journey to the Promised Land, but not enough for 40 years of desert wanderings. It did not matter. God is an anyway God. “During the forty years that I led you through the desert, your clothes did not wear out, nor did the sandals on your feet.” (Deuteronomy 29:5)

Israel did not worry about shoes as they left Egypt. They trusted the God whom they served. The women did not fail to go to the tomb because they did not have the answer to the stone. They all started the task and trusted that God would work things out as they went along.

If there are stones in the way or shoes that need to be replaced, just start anyway. God will provide. Tackle the task in faith. God is the “Anyway God.”

~Lonnie Davis

Death’s Warning

Today we take another look at the Back of my Bible. These are stories that I used to write in the back of my Bible so that I could have them whenever I needed them. I first read this story more than 30 years ago and it haunted me then. This story may seem like a downer, but it is not. It merely serves to remind us that we are not made for here.

Someone wrote:

According to an old fable, a man made an unusual agreement with Death. He told the Grim Reaper that he would willingly accompany him when it came time to die, but only on one condition–that Death would send a messenger well in advance to warn him.

Weeks winged away into months, and months into years. Then one bitter winter evening, as the man sat thinking about all his possessions, Death suddenly entered the room and tapped him on the shoulder. Startled, the man cried out, “You’re here so soon and without warning! I thought we had an agreement.”

Death replied, “I’ve more than kept my part. I’ve sent you many messengers. Look in the mirror and you’ll see some of them.” As the man complied, Death whispered, “Notice your hair! Once it was full and black, now it is thin and white. Look at the way you cock your head to listen to me because you can’t hear very well. Observe how close to the mirror you must stand to see yourself clearly. Yes, I’ve sent many messengers through the years. I’m sorry you’re not ready, but the time has come to leave.”

Lonnie Davis

Favorite HeartWord – Ephesians 3:20

Today I will begin sharing my favorite HeartWords from the Bible – Verses that have meant a lot to me over the years. I will be numbering these, but with God’s Word I really have no number 100 or 75. Like you I love them all, but I number them for conventions sake. Today is

Favorite HeartWord number 100 – Ephesians 3:20

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurable more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.”

What I love about this verse is that in only 22 words, we learn so much about God and prayer and what he does for us.

Read the verse again and you will see six great truths.

1. God is ABLE. “Now unto him who is able…”

2. God is able to do ALL we ask. “Able to do …all we ask.”

3. God is able to do MORE than we ask. “Able to do…more than all we ask.”

4. God is able to do IMMEASURABLE more. “Able to do immeasurable more.”

5. God is able to do not just what we ask, but all we imagine. “All we ask or imagine.”

6. God has all these things at work in us. “According to his power that is at work within us.”

Since the first time I really heard and understand this verse, it has become one of my “go-to” verses. One cannot read and believe this verse and have any doubts about prayer or how much God is willing and able to do for us.

Lonnie Davis

An Accidental Home Burglary

Every now and then I come across a true story that has a great lesson for all of us to learn. Such a story is the following.

Waylon Prendergast, 37, of Tampa, Florida, committed a spur-of-the-moment robbery while on his way home from a late-night drinking session. A very drunk Mr. Prendergast forced his way into the house through an open upstairs window, filling a suitcase with cash and valuables before setting the living room on fire to cover his tracks. He then escaped through the back door and made his way home, chuckling all the way.

Only as he turned the corner into his own street and discovered three fire engines outside his house, did he realize that in his drunkenness he had, in fact, burgled and ignited his own property. His comment was: “I had no idea I had so many valuable possessions.”

I hope none of us can ever say, “I had no idea I had so many…blessings.”

Lonnie Davis

Dog BItes and Prayer

A father’s life is full of surprises. The other day I read the story of a father who walked up on his son and his dog. The dog, a full grown Labrador named Kelly and the four-year-old boy named Josh had a wonderful relationship. Though the dog and the boy loved each other, the dog often had to put up with the boy. Josh loved to hug the dog. Kelly would take as much as he could, but would invariably turn around and nip at the boy to make him turn lose.

One day the father walked up just as Josh had Kelly in one of his big hugs. He had his arms around the dog and his head tucked into the dog’s body so that Kelly could not bite him so easily. As Dad walked by he noticed that Josh’s eyes were closed and heard him say a little prayer, “Dear God, please don’t let Kelly bite me.”

It was cute but the dad could not miss a chance to teach a lesson about prayer. “Josh,” the father said, “God would be more apt to answer your prayer, if you would let go of the dog.”

We too are like the little boy holding on to the dog that he knows will bite him and praying that the dog won’t bite. We do things that will bite us, but don’t want to feel the bite. What do we do to stop the biting? We pray. I am all for prayer. It is the greatest thing in the world, but usually the answer is prayer plus something else. That something else is to stop doing the thing that is going to bring us pain.

We pray for a happy marriage and then neglect one another. We pray for a closer walk with God but do not read His Word. We pray for peace and live life at a frantic pace.

On and on the list could go. Each of us should examine the things that we pray for and then decide what we can do to help make the prayers come true. Keep on praying, but do your part too.

Lonnie Davis

Caterpillars Don’t Die

The story is told of a quite happy caterpillar who found that his life was
changing. He noticed that things weren’t like they used to be. Finally one
day he began to crawl out of his skin. He was quite surprised to see that
though he was changing, he was still okay. Soon he found himself a beautiful butterfly.

He was no longer bound to the trails of the earth below, but could fly on the winds above. He was no longer the ordinary looking caterpillar, but was now a beautiful butterfly. He soared above, looking down on the old shell that was still down below. He thought how lucky he was to have made such a marvelous change.

As he looked below, he saw some of his old caterpillar friends, crawling
slowly across the old trails that he had walked. They found his old shell
and began to weep. He tried to shout to them that all was well, that he was
even happier, but he did not seem to be able to reach them. From his lofty
position, he looked down on those he had left behind and watched as they
gathered around his discarded shell and wept.

He could not tell, them, but leaving the old shell behind was not the end,
it was just the beginning of the real beauty that God had in store for him.
He knew that someday, they would join him and understand that caterpillars don‘t die, they just become beautiful butterflies.

Anon

In Memory of Liz Davis

No, Liz is not gone, but the words she shared with me are words I hope will out live her an me.

I wondered what her favorite verse was and so I asked her. She quickly answered, “Philippians 4:13.”

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

I guess many people would have picked that same verse, but with Liz it was different. Let me explain why.

We were riding in our car, on the way to one of her dialysis appointments. Three times a week for four hours each time, they run all of her blood through a machine and put it back into her, a little at a time. At the end of the process she gets to skip a day and then do it again.

As we were riding to the center. I asked her about her jaw. She is slowly recovering from a nerve surgery designed to get rid of six years of severe, everyday facial pain. I asked how she was doing and she replied, “Okay, right now.”

I was quiet for a minute and then asked, “Liz, do you ever get in despair?” She answered, “No.” Living in the peripheral of all of this, I wanted to know why. She told me, “Because I am one of God’s children and He will take care of me.”

Her word made me really appreciate her faith and choice of her favorite verse, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

When I think of the times I feel like I have problems, I am humbled by her. I am reminded of the words of the poet, “Oh God, forgive me when I whine.”

Lonnie Davis

Knowing What to Do

In 1939, the Nazis were invading the Netherlands. The first people to be affected were the Jews who lived in the Netherlands. A group of Christians came to the Dutch theologian, Henry Cramer, and told him, “Our Jewish neighbors are missing from their homes.” They then asked, “What must we do?”

Cramer’s answered, “I cannot tell you what to do. I can tell you who you are. If you know who you are then you will know what to do.”

Read those last words again, “If you know who you are, then you will know what to do.” The Nazis are not marching in our streets, but those words should still convict us. When Satan sends temptations, you do not need to ask what to do. You only need to remember who you are.

Sometimes Christians will be confronted with a temptation to evil. It sounds holy and righteous to hear them say, “I will pray to God for an answer about what I should do.” It is not holy and righteous. It is weak. God has already told us what to do with sin. We only need to remember who we are.

In our story, the men and women who asked the question of Henry Cramer became part of the Dutch resistance movement. They helped save the lives of many. In times of stress and temptation, if you and I will remember who God is and who we are, it will determine our conduct.

2,000 years ago, on a storm tossed ship in the middle of the sea, Paul used that principle to make his decision. He told the freighted sailors, “Last night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve stood beside me and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’ So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me.” (Acts 27:23-25)

Paul said, “I know God knows me and I know who I am and whose I am.” Since he knew these things, he knew what to do. When you know those things, you too will know what to do.

~Lonnie Davis

Just Do It!

Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying,
“Arise and go toward the south along the road which
goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is desert.
—Acts 8:26

Just Do It!

It seemed like a simple command to just go to a certain road. There was no “I have a person for you to talk to,” or “there you will lead someone to Christ.” Later, of course, God did give him the opportunity to tell someone about God, but when the command came, it was a “just do it” thing. Just go!

Philip did “just do it.” There were many human reasons why he should not have gone. (1) He was doing a great work of evangelism where he was. (2) Where God told him to go was out the middle of nowhere. Surely he could do more good with all the people where he was. (3) It was an 80 miles trip and he had to walk. (4) There were Apostles who were 30 miles closer to this place than Philip was.

Sometimes being a follower of God means doing what we do not understand. This was one of those times. For all the good that Philip did while he was converting people in Samaria, we know nothing of their stories. Because he went to this deserted place we have this great story of the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch. For 2,000 years people have proclaimed this story and even now in the twenty-first century it leads people to Christ.

Contained in this story is the real secret to being a great Christian. The secret? Whatever God wants you to do, just do it!

Philip did not question God’s wisdom. He knew that God knew what He was doing. Too many times when God touches our lives with 80 miles of our own hard journey, we question God and grumble about the hard spot God has put us in.

Philip knew God’s hand was in the journey. God’s hand is in your journey too.

Just do it!

Lonnie Davis

HeartWord – James 1:22

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”

Death – Thou Art a Wasp

It was a Sunday morning. As I was getting ready for church, out of the corner of my eye I saw something red flying in my bedroom. I looked again and caught the quick glimpse of a wasp. I am a waspaphobic (I made up the word, but it is a fear of being stung by wasps). I quickly grabbed something with which to kill the wasp. Turning my head for just a minute allowed the wasp to disappear from sight. I closed the door and began my hunt. Nothing!

As it was getting time to go to church I was sure to keep the door closed when I left. Sunday afternoon was dedicated to a wasp hunt. Nothing! My wife even hunted him a time or two. Nothing! A few hours later and it was time for bed. With great trepidation I crawled into bed.

Did I mention that I am a waspaphobic? How does one sleep with a wasp in the room? The answer is “lightly.” When I did not see the wasp for two days, I convinced myself that Mr. Wasp went out of the house the same way he came into it. Tuesday morning at 2 AM I woke up and saw him back in my room. Just as quickly as he came, he disappeared again. I sat on the edge of the bed holding a fly swatter until 3AM. It wasn’t until Friday that I saw and killed him. There is peace in my house again.

I guess we all understand the torment that comes from such a situation, but let me share two important facts.

1. The wasp can sting me, but it will not kill me.

2. The wasp will ultimately lose the battle.

Oh Death, thou art a wasp. Death can sting me but it cannot destroy me. Jesus said, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.” (Matthew 10:28) Death is a temporary situation that only looks final. In the end, I will get up from the dead and so will you. Paul wrote, “We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. (1 Thessalonians 4:14)

Death can make you afraid. You can sit on your bed and worry through the night. Death can sting you, but in the end it will lose the battle. Jesus assured the victory.

~Lonnie Davis

The Blessings of Overcoming Hard Days

Somewhere I read, “If you would be successful, do the things that are hard and lonely.” Everyone can do the fun things, the social things, or the easy things. Anyone can watch a football game with a friend or go to a movie with a special person. These things are fun and social for most of us. Doing them will bring us no lasting success.

Few people are willing to do the hard things, the lonely things. Few people are willing to spend time alone memorizing math formulas so those who do are thought of as smart. Few people are willing to set up at night with the television off and memorize passages from God’s word. To get ahead in your job or any part of your life, be willing to do the hard and lonely things. The fact that they are hard will mean you will be lonely in doing them, but doing those things will set you apart from the crowd. Do not curse the hard circumstances, but rather relish them as opportunities for victory.

Abraham Lincoln was reared in poverty. It was hard, but he was willing to overcome it. Franklin D Roosevelt was a victim of polio. Beethoven, one of the true musical geniuses of the world, was completely deaf. Their problems, their almost impossible circumstances simply meant they must work harder. They did the work, the hard and lonely work. We will always remember them. Never give up just because something is hard. The fact that circumstances are hard is what allows your victory to be great.

In the 17th century Anne Bradstreet put it beautifully, “If we had no winter; the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.”

There is a blessing to be gained from overcoming hard days.

Lonnie Davis

HeartWord – Proverbs 3:5,6

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”

Before He Was Born

When Abraham Lincoln was elected President, Jesus was there. When Abraham of the Old Testament was childless, Jesus was there. When Noah started building the ark, Jesus was there. When Adam was created, Jesus was there.

In Genesis 1:26, God said, “Let us make man in our image.” Who do you think He was talking to when he said that? Who is the “us” of that verse? John 1:1-2 makes that clear. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning.”

He was talking to Jesus. Jesus is the one who made everything that has been made. Jesus is not just the carpenter from Nazareth. He is also the great carpenter of the universe. He made the sun, the moon, and the stars. He made the cattle and the birds and the fish. He made man and woman. He made the angels. He made me and He made you.

What was His name before it was Jesus? No one really knows. Some commentators think he is the Angel of the Lord in the Old Testament. He is one of the three in the Godhead. The Bible makes it abundantly clear that he is.

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” – Matthew 28:19-20

“May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” – 2 Corinthians 13:14

He always was. He always is. He always will be. That is the definition of an eternal God. Our minds are unable to imagine the possibility of a place where time does not exist, where time is irrelevant, where there are no clocks or calendars. Such a place is where Jesus was, where Jesus is, where Jesus always will be.

Since He is there and I am going there, then there will never be another time when I will not exist. This is because of who Jesus is and who He was before He was born on earth.

~Lonnie Davis

Dippin’ Dots in the Door

Some years ago, when two of my grandchildren were small, I wrote the following words.

In case you do not know what Dippin Dots are, they are little BB size ice cream balls. One buys them by the cup. As I am a fan of big spoons of ice-cream, I am not a fan of Dippin’ Dots. The other day I went to the grocery store to pick up a few things that were needed. When I got to the ice cream section I noticed little one dollar bowls of Dippin’ Dots. Even though they are not my favorite I do know a couple of kids that like them so I picked up two. I brought them home and put them in the freezer door. The two children that love them do not even know they are there. One day soon they will come to my house and I will surprise them with the little blessing I am saving for them. I know they will love it.

That was then and now my grandkids are older and past the dippin’ dots age, but this story still makes me smile. Mostly because this story reminds me of what God does for us. He prepares blessings and waits for the right time to give them to us. This is what Paul meant when he wrote 1 Corinthians 2:9, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.”

While here on earth, the blessing sometimes takes the form of a beautiful day or a night of sweet sleep. Sometimes the blessing is an encouraging word from a friend. Sometimes the blessing is unexpected money to pay a bill. Sometimes the blessing is more spectacular. It is a job that we get just in the nick of time or an answer to a prayer for cancer.

All of these are wonderful, but our greatest blessing is waiting on the other side of the door. John wrote about it. “I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Rev 21:2-4)

I can hardly wait!

Lonnie Davis

HeartWord – 1 Chronicles 29:12

“Both riches and honor come from You, and You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; in Your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.”

Following Behind

Forty years after leaving Egypt, Israel was ready to enter the Promised Land. They had crossed the Red Sea, mountains, and deserts and finally they came to the last physical barrier to that Promised Land, the Jordan River. As Israel stood on the brink and ready to cross, it was a daunting task, perhaps even scary. The river was swollen and dangerous and there were two million people that needed to cross. As they got ready to cross, God gave them the order to follow the ark as they crossed the river. He gave them specific details about the march. He said to them:

“Keep a distance of about a thousand yards between you and the ark; do not go near it.” (Joshua 3:4).

This commandment from the Lord may seem strange. The people needed to cross the Jordan as soon as they possible, yet they were told to lag 2/3 of a mile behind the ark.

Why?

There is no guess needed here. God told them why they should follow 1,000 yards behind the ark. “Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before.” They followed because they needed to see someone else walk the path before them. It is easier to travel if you know someone who has walked that way before.

This is a great rule for everything in life. Any path you want to walk, whether that of a baker, a banker, or a business owner, find someone who has walked the path before you and then learn from them. Don’t live your life like you are the first one to ever walk the paths of life.

Lonnie Davis

HeartWord – Proverbs 3:5,6

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”

Canned Corn?

When Liz and I first married we learned many things from each other. She was a country girl and I was a city boy. I was from Houston, Texas (population 2,000,000 +). She was from Jack’s Creek, Tennessee (population 100 +). That is a cultural clash. My first church was in a farming community. One day my country wife told me that we were going to go get corn and took me to a farm where we picked our own corn. We shucked it, cut it off the cob and made our own cream style corn. I did not say so at the time, but I thought it was not very good. I liked canned corn. I was very young and very, very ignorant.

Growing up my mother made corn often. She would go to the pantry, get a can, open it and pour it into a pan. When the temperature was right she would serve it to us. Hmmmm, good!

Since then, I have learned the difference between superior and inferior corn. Taste is a funny thing. One can get used to things that are not very good. One can even learn to think that inferior stuff is superior stuff. It is a principle that is as old as the world. Cain thought inferior worship was better than faith worship (Genesis 4). Demas thought the world was superior to serving with Paul (2 Timothy 4:10). Judas thought 30 pieces of silver was better than walking with Jesus.

Unfortunately, this principle still allures people. Every day people choose the world over the spirit. Every day people choose sin over righteousness. Every day people choose lies over truth. Every day we all have to make those same choices. Joshua challenged Israel:

“If serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15)

“No one can serve two masters,” Jesus said (Matthew 6:24). We must learn to choose the superior ways of the Spirit over the inferior ways of the world. This choice should be a “can of corn”” for a Christian (That means easy). Choose to follow Jesus.

~Lonnie Davis

HeartWord – Colossians 3:23

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.”

Balcony People

It was in the 1970s that Baylor University in Waco, Texas hired a new football coach named Grant Teaff. Baylor had a long history of failure and it seemed they could not win their conference or even really compete. Grant Teaff took over a team that had not won a conference championship in 50 years. He hit town and so did the folks who were ready to tell him how to run things. The story goes that he listened to the critics and then told them that he did not respond to criticism and worked a lot better with encouragement. He was right and within two years he took that pitiful program and won the conference championship.

Like Grant Teaff, we all work better with encouragement. I like to call those that encourage “the balcony people.” At a successful Broadway play, when the play is over the balcony people stand and cheer. Everyone needs balcony people in their life. We need people who bless us and give us courage and encouragement.

We need our family and close friends to be our “balcony people.” They know our strengths and weaknesses. They could easily boo our flops, but we need them to clap at our successes. Knowing us as well as they do, they can find something to clap about. If your family never claps for you it hurts. If your spouse never claps for you, consider counseling. If your friends never clap for you, maybe they aren’t really your friends.

We need our church family to be our balcony people. All week long we live in a world that is not friendly to our Christian values. When we walk through the church doors we need to be lifted up by the people there. We need to leave with encouragement that will help us go back and face the world. When Paul wrote to his Christian family he almost always started with words of encouragement.

We need God to be in our balcony. Thankfully, He is always there for us. When God spoke to Jeremiah He promised him, “’I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the LORD” (Jeremiah 29:10-14).

The promise God made to Jeremiah is like the promise made to us found in the words of Jesus, “I am with you always”” (Matt 28:20).

~Lonnie Davis

HeartWord – Revelation 3:20

“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”

God is Faithful

Once when I was doing a little shopping in a local store, I noticed something odd. Cokes by the case were a lot higher than usual. I mean a lot higher. I looked again and saw the problem. It wasn’t a case. It was a pack of 32 cokes. The price was about 50% higher than a normal case, but then it was bigger than a normal case of 24. But wait! It was not a case and a half of cokes it was a case and four cans short of a case and a half for the price of a case and a half. Now if this is confusing to you then the marketers have done as they intended. They did not want you to do the math. It was their way of raising the price without you noticing. Coca-Cola is not the only company to do this. Candy bars got smaller for the same price. Cereal companies took out just a few ounces of cereal and kept the size of the box the same.

A few years back I went through a drive through at a barbecue restaurant. I wanted to buy a pound of barbecue to take home. I examined the menu, but could not find a pound of barbecue anywhere. I found sandwiches, drinks, and buns, but the barbecue was listed only by the half-pound. I asked the girl at the window, “How much is a pound of barbecue?” She gave me the price of a half-pound. I didn’t care about that, so ask her again, “How much is a pound?” “Oh,“ she said, “we do not sell it by the pound.” Now I can do math and know that you can buy two half-pounds and that equals a pound. I also know why they would not advertise the pound price. They thought it seemed cheaper by the half-pound. In Puerto Rico you cannot by a gallon a gasoline. You can only buy it by the liter but 4 liters does not equal a gallon. You don’t know how much a gallon of gasoline is!

Gasoline by the liter, cokes by the case plus ten, and small portions all designed to fool us. These things cause people to be very skeptical. Sometimes the skepticism even turns to God and people doubt God.

We must never let the world erode our trust in God.

Moses wrote, “God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind.” (Numbers 23:19) God does not lie. He does not disappoint. He does not fail. He does not try to trick or deceive. God is faithful. As the book of Lamentations says, ““His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23)

Lonnie Davis

Breaking Down on the Side of the Road

Many years ago while driving down a Texas freeway, I looked down and noticed that my fuel was running low. Spotting a service station up ahead, I pulled in and filled my tank. Five miles further down the freeway, my little Volkswagen sputtered, died, and coasted to the side of the road. Unable to get it running again, I called for help and left the car. A relative towed the car to his house and fixed it. It was a simple fix, one that even I could do. The problem was that the last batch of gasoline had been contaminated with water.

Sometimes in my life I too am doing fine when suddenly I sputter and stop. When I do, I try to remember the lessons learned from that night:

I learned that if I put bad fuel into my tank (my heart), it will not worked it should. Before that night I would have guessed a glass of water in 10 gallons of gasoline might cause sputtering, but not a total failure of the engine. I was wrong. David said, “Your Word have I put in my heart that I might not sin”” (Psalm 119:11). The right fuel for the Christian heart is the word of God. The wrong fuel is any thing that will contaminate it.

I learned that a thing does not have to be all bad to cause failure. I did not put all water into the tank. I put mostly gasoline with a little water. People talk about how much good someone does and somehow think that will make up for the evil behavior, but a little bad destroys a lot of good. Solomon wrote, “As dead flies give perfume a bad smell, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor” (Ecc 10:1). It does not take much poison in a glass to make the whole drink poison.

I learned that just because I thought I was doing right, did not mean it was the right thing to do. I thought I was putting pure gasoline in, but I was not. Good intentions do not overcome the bad actions (or dumb behavior). “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death” (Proverbs 14:12).

I learned that you will not have a good result until you remove the bad and put the good in its place. Once the pure gasoline replaced the contaminated fuel, everything started working as it should.

Lonnie Davis

HeartWord – Proverbs 4:23

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”

Memories

People today are living longer than at any time in modern history. That is great, but one of the saddest thing to see is watching someone outlive their memories. We call it dementia. Our memories make us who we are. Today’s article is about memories. I titled it:

Memories

While preparing for a move, I picked up a box of old things from years gone by. It was filled with old papers, a few photos, and old books I had not seen for years. Among those old books was a little, brown leather New Testament. Thirty years earlier that New Testament had been my favorite “preaching Bible.” I read a few notes that I had written on its pages and it brought a smile to my heart. Old memories can be refreshing to the soul.

God also values memories. He put a rainbow in the sky so that we would remember (Gen 9:16). As the Israelites crossed the Jordan, God commanded a monument of memorial stones to be built so Israel would remember how He had delivered them from slavery (Joshua 4:6). As one of His last acts on earth, Jesus set up a memorial meal for Christians. (Matthew 26, 1 Cor 11:24) He said we should eat this meal “In memory of Me.”

God calls us to remember that He is God and what he has done for us. The memorial stones in Joshua do not just tell those people there was a God who delivered, but also served to remind each new generation that God still delivers. On the Lord’s Day as the Memorial meal is passed, we do not see grape juice or the unleavened bread, but the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross. We see the love of God who gave His Son to the nails so that we might have eternal life.

I love the story of Robert E. Lee who shortly after the Civil War, was visiting a Kentucky lady. She took him to the remains of a grand old tree at the front of her formerly great mansion. The North and the South had fought a bitter battle in her yard, and the limbs and the trunk of that old tree had been destroyed by Northern artillery fire. She looked to Lee to speak some word of consolation. Lee paused for a moment and then said, “Cut it down, my dear Madam, and forget it.”

There are some things we ought to forget, i.e. old hurts, old pains, and old enemies. There are other things we must not forget. We must never forget all of the good things God has done for us. We must never forget that God still has a hand in our daily lives. We must never forget that God always loves us.

Lonnie Davis

HeartWord – Luke 22:19

And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

Trusting Iron Chariots

Did you ever trust in a car that left you stranded on the side of the road? How about trusting a friend who disappointed you. Today’s article reminds us about what or who we can trust. It is called

Trusting Iron Chariots

As Israel entered the Promised Land, the first city, Jericho fell in spectacular fashion. The cities of Ai, Jerusalem, and Hebron were soon to follow. It was not easy but with God on their side, the Israelites conquered the enemy.

Joshua noted, “One of you routs a thousand because the Lord your God fights for you, just as he promised.” (Joshua 23:10)

With God’s miracles and the leadership of Joshua, nothing could go wrong. At least that is how Israel felt, but Judges 1:18-19 tells us,

“The men of Judah also took Gaza, Ashkelon and Ekron–each city with its territory. The LORD was with the men of Judah. They took possession of the hill country, but they were unable to drive the people from the plains, because they had iron chariots.”

Notice the end of that verse, “They were unable to drive the people from the plains because they had iron chariots.”

Think of “Iron Chariots” as tanks of that time. They were indeed formidable weapons, but it was not really the iron chariots that stopped Israel. The iron chariots made the task harder, but neither iron chariots nor tanks can thwart God.

Years earlier the Israelite soldiers had seen the mighty Egyptian army, along with her “iron chariots” perish in the Red Sea. Now Israel found it easier to leave the plains people alone than to battle against iron chariots. Israel opted for ease rather than obedience.

There is an story about an old man who at a county fair was offered a chance to take his first airplane ride. After some persuading he agreed. When the flight was over the pilot asked the old man how he liked his first flight. He answered, “It was pre ty good, but to tell you the truth I never did put my full weight on it.”

Israel saw the iron chariots and decided not to put their full weight on God. Israel should have known that Iron chariots cannot stop God or God’s people. Nothing can stop God’s people as long as they are doing God’s will. Only the desire for ease can do that.

What does God want you to do? Do it.

With God as your partner neither iron chariots nor tanks can stop you.

Lonnie Davis

HeartWord – Philippians 4:5

“Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.”

NOTE: There ought not be any harsh spirited Christians. If there is such, make sure it is not you!