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Life is filled with necessary but hard decisions. 

Should I change jobs? 
Should I get married? 
Should I get a divorce?
 Should I drop my friend? 

 There seems to be more questions than there are answers.

As you ponder your own questions that need answers, I would call your attention to Exodus chapters 3 and 4.

These chapters tell the story of Moses and the burning bush. Israel was suffering as slaves in Egypt. God decided to deliver them. He spoke to Moses from a burning bush and told him exactly what to do. Moses listened. doubted, and made excuses. He had excuses but from the burning bush, but God had answers, assurances, and direction.

Wouldn’t you love to find your own burning bush? A wonderful source for answers to all your questions. If only we could talk to a burning bush then we would know what we should do.

Really?

Moses tried not to listen to God from the burning bush. I think that most folks would respond just as Moses did. They too would make excuses rather than obey. I know this because I see it all around. Sometimes it is me who does not listen but hunts for an excuse.

For example:

· From His Word, God says we should live thankful lives. “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thess. 5:18)

· He commands us to live faithful lives. “Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

Obviously, this list could be greatly expanded. The point of all of this is to encourage all who wish for a burning bush so you could hear what God wants you to do, ask yourself “Are you even listening?” 

We do have a burning bush. It is called the Word of God.

~Lonnie Davis

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The Source of Help

Sometimes we don’t learn or even see the lesson for many years. Today’s thought is one of those lessons.

When I was in high school, I was presented with a puzzle. It was one of those where people were trying to cross a river with only one boat. It was a really good puzzle and I could not solve it. I, therefore, judged it unsolvable. 

All through college I challenged others with the puzzle. No one ever solved it. Later I was teaching 8th-grade school. To keep my class busy, I gave them the puzzle. Of course, I knew it was unsolvable, but wanted to challenge them to struggle with it. 

About 5 minutes into the puzzle, one little girl, said, “I’ve done it.” Of course, I knew she had not, but I let her come show me. She had no chance. She came to my desk to show me. Wow! She had solved it. 

I had prejudged her and decided that an 8^th-grade girl could never do this. 

The lesson I should have learned was that I should not prejudge. Sometimes answers come from unexpected sources. 

In 1 Samuel 17, the Bible demonstrated that principle. For 40 days, King Saul and all the Israelite warriors were tormented by a giant named Goliath. For 40 days, the Hebrews had lived fearfully. No one could get the victory for Israel. Finally, a teenage boy came forward and offered to fight the giant.

The mighty King Saul, told the teenager, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.” (v33).

Well, you know how that story ended. King Saul prejudged the youth but in the end, the youth delivered the solution by meeting and killing the giant.

King Saul almost lost the battle, because he prejudged the boy and was ready to reject the only one who could solve his problem.

I sometimes do that too, but we must not make Saul’s mistake. It is important to remember that help sometimes comes from unexpected places.

Lonnie Davis

It’s Saturday and I try to bring you something I didn’t write but wish I had. Today’s writing is by that famous “Unknown Author” and is called:

No Time to Pray

I got up early one morning
And rushed right into the day;
I had so much to accomplish
That I didn’t take time to pray.

Problems just tumbled about me,
And heavier came each task,
“Why doesn’t God help me?” I wondered.
He answered, “You didn’t ask.”

I wanted to see joy and beauty,
But the day toiled on gray and bleak;
I wondered why God didn’t show me;
He said, “But you didn’t seek.”

I tried to come into God’s presence;
I used all my keys at the lock;
God gently and lovingly chided,
“My child you didn’t knock.”

I woke up early this morning,
And paused before entering the day;
I had so much to accomplish
That I had to take time to pray.

~ Unknown

Bible Study for Today – The Lord’s Prayer

One of the most familiar texts from the Bible are the words of Jesus found in Matthew 6:9-13. It is often called, “The Lord’s Prayer.”

“Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And do not lead us into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

In the 1950s, Texas’s children started their school day by reciting these words. Unfortunately, the children did not understand the meaning of the words they were reciting. Many of us still do not. For today’s Bible toolbox, let’s look at one great purpose of this verse.

These words are not intended to be a memorized form for prayer, but rather an example to teach us about prayer. Those who teach about prayer will often use this prayer example of Jesus to show want our prayer ought to cover. Notice these parts to a good prayer.

Prayer should:

1. Acknowledge God as our Father: The opening phrase of the prayer, “Our Father in heaven,” reminds us that God is not only our Creator but also our loving and caring Father.

2. Honor God: The phrase “hallowed be your name” acknowledges God’s holiness and reminds us of the need to honor and respect Him.

3. Pray for God’s will to be done: When we pray “your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,” we are surrendering our will to God’s and asking Him to bring about His purposes in our lives and in the world.

4. Pray for our daily needs: The prayer includes the phrase “give us today our daily bread.”.

5. Confess our sins and ask for forgiveness.

6. Ask for God’s protection. The prayer includes the request “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” 

These lessons still provide insight and inspiration as we study and practice the blessing of prayer.

Lonnie Davis

The Great Request – Teach me to Pray

Think of all the things Peter, Andrew, James, and John might have asked Jesus. 

§  He was a great teacher. They might have asked him to teach them how to teach. 

§  He worked miracles. They might have asked him to show them how to work miracles. 

§  He was a great leader. They might have asked him for lessons in leadership.

On and on the list could go, but there is one thing they asked him to teach them. It is found in Luke 11:1

“When he finished praying in a certain place, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John also taught his disciples.’”

Did you ever think about John the Baptizer teaching his disciples to pray? Probably not, but he certainly did. 

Did he have a special class where he gave pointers to his disciples? I don’t know, but what he did caused the disciples of Jesus to make a request to him for similar teaching. 

Of course, there was one other motivation for the disciples asking Jesus to teach them to pray – they heard his prayers and saw his prayer life.

I am so thankful that the disciples made this request. Prayer is a subject that needs to be taught. Prayer is also a subject that needs to be learned. 

Perhaps when we struggle with prayer, we are really struggling with not really understanding what prayer is or how to really pray.

For our own sake, each Christian should learn how to pray.

Lonnie Davis

I know I said, “Grandfather’s” toolbox instead of some other name, but that is because I am a grandfather, but whatever you are, – a grandmother, aunt, uncle, or just friend, we all need a toolbox of stories and lessons we collect to save for just the right moment. Those stories become our “words fitly spoken” that are “like apples of gold in settings of silver.” (Proverbs 25:11). It becomes that wise story you can tell at just the right time.

We all need that toolbox, but how do we get them? The answer is that we collect them. We write them to ourselves. We store them for just the right time. Just the other day I told my son to write his stories down. I now say that to all of you. Write them down. One of the biggest lies that we tell ourselves is “I don’t need to write it down. I will remember.” Write down, not only your stories but also those you hear from others.

Each Wednesday, I will share one of mine for you to put into your toolbox. 

Today’s story is called “Doomed”

A bunch of really smart people got together in 1880 to predict the future, according to Jeff Stibel in his book Breakpoint. These experts were called on to predict how the rapidly growing New York City would manage into the next century and beyond.

The prognosis was not positive.

NYC was a major source of American innovation in 1880. Skyscrapers, subways, stock exchanges — and it was doubling in size every 10 years. The experts were concerned by this growth, because they projected that by 1980, you’d need six million horses to transport everyone who would live there.

Well, that is one little story I collected along the way. Why don’t you send me one of yours?

Lonnie Davis

Our Scripture study for today is Luke 12:39-40

It reads, “‘But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.'”

The Spider and the Bug

Unknown Author

There was once a spider who lived in a cornfield. He was a big spider and he had spun a beautiful web between the corn stalks. He got fat eating all the bugs that would get caught in his web. He liked his home and planned to stay there for the rest of his life.

One day the spider caught a little bug in his web, and just as the spider was about to eat him, the bug said, “If you let me go I will tell you something important that will save your life.” The spider paused for a moment and listened because he was amused. “You better get out of this cornfield,” the little bug said, “The harvest is coming!”

The spider smiled and said, “What is this harvest you are talking about? I think you are just telling me a story.” But the little bug said, “Oh no, it is true. The owner of this field is coming to harvest it soon. All the stalks will be knocked down and the corn will be gathered up. You will be killed by the giant machines if you stay here.”

The spider said, “I don’t believe in harvests and giant machines that knock down corn stalks. How can you prove this?” The little bug continued, “Just look at the corn. See how it is planted in rows? It proves this field was created by an intelligent designer.”

The spider laughed and mockingly said, “This field has evolved and has nothing to do with a creator. Corn always grows that way.” The bug went on to explain, “Oh no. This field belongs to the owner who planted it, and the harvest is coming soon.” The spider grinned and said to the little bug, “I don’t believe you,” and then the spider ate the little bug for lunch.

A few days later, the spider was laughing about the story the little bug had told him. He thought to himself, “A harvest! What a silly idea. I have lived here all of my life and nothing has ever disturbed me. I have been here since these stalks were just a foot off the ground, and I’ll be here for the rest of my life, because nothing is ever going to change in this field. Life is good, and I have it made.”

The next day was a beautiful sunny day in the cornfield. The sky above was clear and there was no wind at all. That afternoon as the spider was about to take a nap, he noticed some thick dusty clouds moving toward him. He could hear the roar of a great engine and he said to himself, “I wonder what that could be?”

There were 5,000 men to feed. The disciples had no food and were at a loss about how to handle the big problem. 

Peter explained, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” (John 6:9)

Such a little amount seemed unimportant to the disciples. The feeling of the disciples is among us today. We look around and see the little that we have and think we are helpless. We have only a little talent. We only have a little money. We only have a little time. If only we had more we could do something.

God warned the Jews not to despise “the day of small things.” (Zechariah 4:10)  Small things sometimes make big differences.

There is a true story of a man who got up one morning and put on a new pair of shoes. On the way to work he developed a blister on his foot. He stopped at the store to by a Band-Aid. The little stop made him late. It was the morning of September 11, 2001 and he worked at the World Trade Center. He is alive today because of a little thing.

In a circular called “Little Things” several more stories like this are revealed around September 11.

“The head of one company got in late that day because his son started kindergarten. Another fellow is alive because it was his turn to bring doughnuts. One woman was late because her alarm clock didn’t go off in time. One’s car wouldn’t start. One had a child that dawdled and didn’t get ready as soon as he should have.” All these people lived because of the effect of “little things.”

Little things make big differences. A little prayer time each day, a little time in the Word, a little giving, a little kindness, all these make you a great person. Everything starts with something little, but often ends in something big. With God’s help, the little boy and the five little loaves of barley bread and two little fish were able to feed 5,000 men plus women and children.

Do something little today. It will be huge tomorrow.

~Lonnie Davis

March 13, 2011

Our Bible question for this week is, What does the Bible say about how old the earth is?

I am reminded of the guide who worked in the Carlsbad Caverns. Someone asked him how old the caverns were. He replied that they were 20 million and 15 days old. When he was asked how he could be so specific, he explained, “When I first started working here they told me they were 20 million years old. That was 15 days ago. Now they are 20 million and 15 days old.”

That is a cute story, but no one really knows.

Some have estimated it to be around 4.54 billion years old. This age has been determined through various scientific methods. For example, if the nearest star(other than our Sun) is 4.24 light-years away from us, then since we can see its light then it must have taken more than 4 years to get here. Some stars are billions of light-years away so the universe must be at least that old.

Some also 

Some Bible students believe that the Earth is around 6,000 to 10,000 years old. They base this on a literal interpretation of the Bible’s genealogies and the belief in a six-day creation. This view is often referred to as young earth creationism.

There are 2 things to consider when looking at these two views.

1. God could have made the earth and all the stars with the appearance of being old. People will ask, “When God created Adam and he was only 3 days old, how old did he look?” the Bible presents Adam as being created as a grown man. Could God have done this? Yes. Did God do this? Nobody knows for sure.

2. Could our universe be billions of years old/ Yes. Those who believe that the Bible teaches a 6,000-year-old earth do not take account of Genesis 1. 

Verse 1 says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” The next verse says, “Now the earth was formless and empty…” How much time passed between verse 1 and verse 2? The Bible does not say. Could it have been one hour? I don’t know. Could it have been 5 billion years? No one knows.

So finally, how old is the earth? It is not important. That God created it is the important issue.

Lonnie Davis

Good morning. Today I want to share an old story with you that I find humorous and instructive. It is called

Pulling Together

An out-of-towner drove his car into a ditch in a desolated area. Luckily, a local farmer came to help with his big strong horse, named Buddy. He hitched Buddy up to the car and yelled, “Pull, Nellie, pull!” Buddy didn’t move.

Then the farmer hollered, “Pull, Buster, pull!” Buddy didn’t respond. Once more the farmer commanded, “Pull, Coco, pull!”

Nothing.

Then the farmer nonchalantly said, “Pull, Buddy, pull!” And the horse easily dragged the car out of the ditch.

The motorist was most appreciative and very curious. He asked the farmer why he called his horse by the wrong name three times.

The farmer said, “Oh, Buddy is blind and if he thought he was the only one pulling, he wouldn’t even try.”

I love the words of the song, “I get by with a little help from my friends.”  Don’t we all?

I think s  his illustrates the meaning of Hebrews 10:24

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,”  

Lonnie Davis