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You go to school for the opportunity of a great life. You set the alarm and go to work so that you might have a chance at a great life. These things are wonderful, but there are also four rules which are necessary for a great and happy life.

Four Rules for a Great Life

1. You Need Someone to Love.

When God created the world, after each act He said, “It is good.” The first thing he ever identified “as not good” was, “it is not good for man to be alone.” When He said this, there was only Adam. Adam needed Eve and in time the two of them needed their children and their friends. They all needed God. We were not made to be alone. We all need someone to love and need someone to love us.

2. You Need Something to Do.

Work was not a curse for man’s disobedience. Before Adam sinned he was working. He tended the Garden of Eden and did the work of naming all the animals. We were made to do work.

3. You Need Something to believe In.

James says a man who does not know what he believes is “doubled minded” and then adds, “A double-minded man, is unstable in all he does.” (James 1:8) It ought to be obvious that an unstable person, one who does not know what to believe, cannot be happy and successful.

4. You Need Something to look Forward To.

I once heard someone say, “I’m shopping on the internet so I will have something to look forward to.” Even if you are waiting for an order you are looking forward to something, but there are bigger things to dream about and anticipate. Is it a vacation, a new job, or even a dinner out? To find joy one has to look forward to something. The ultimate thing to look forward to is heaven and our eternity with God. Jesus said, “In my Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.” That is something worth looking forward to. That is something that will bring you joy!

~Lonnie Davis

Favorite Verse #99 – Luke 4:16

“Do I have to go to church?” Many kids and sometimes adults ask this question. One answer is always – WWJD. You remember that bracelets, “What Would Jesus Do?”

Well I have a better acronym – WDJD or What Did Jesus Do?”

This brings us to today’s great, but often overlooked verse, Luke 4:16,

“He we to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue as was his custom.’

From this text there are at least three important observations.

1. Jesus went to church.

Okay, so I realize it was not “church” but rather the synagogue he attended, but this would be like “church” today. Don’t fuss at me about this because I also realize we don’t go to “church” but rather the assembly of the church. Regardless, the point is clear. Jesus attended the worship and study of the word.

2. He went “on the Sabbath day.”

He could have done many things with his Sabbath. He could have communed with nature. He could have taught his disciples. He could have slept in. He could have, but he did not. What he did was use his Sabbath to go to the assembly.

3. He went “as was His CUSTOM.” 

This is my favorite part of this verse. He didn’t just to the synagogue on this particular day. Going to the synagogue on the Sabbath was his normal activity. It was his custom. It was his habit. 

Next time you think What Would Jesus Do? You might be better advised to ask “What Did Jesus Do.” This verse is one of the answers to that question. “He went into the synagogue as was his custom.”

Lonnie Davis

We all remember the first time.

The first time we rode a bike.

The first time we fell in love.

The first time we kissed a girl (or a guy).

I remember my first sermon. I was in the tenth grade and it was a Wednesday night class. I had forty-five minutes to speak. That is a lot of time for a first sermon. I had no one to help me write the sermon so you can imagine it was pretty bad. I had no one to warn me about how quickly time flies. There was no clock on the wall and I had no watch so I spoke and spoke and spoke. I remember finishing the sermon and thinking that I had not spoken long enough. I did what any good speaker would have done. I started over again from the first point. When I finished preaching the sermon a second time, I still thought I had not preached long enough so I had a good strategy. I started at the first for a third time. Part way through the third time the teacher interrupted me with ““class is over.” Had he not done so, I might have preached for days.

 I remember other sermons from those teenage days. I would go into the empty church building and preach my sermon over and over to empty pews. I faithfully followed that practice for the first six years of my ministry. For the ten years after that, I followed that practice on many occasions.

 In 1 Peter 4:10-11, Peter urges us, “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.”

 There are many misunderstanding about what it means to use your gift.

It does not mean do what is easy.

It does not mean do what is hard.

It means do what you can do. Work at it and it will get better. Work at it and it will get easier. Work at it and it will become more useful to other people. Some public speakers think they are good because they have the “gift of gab.” Teachers and speakers who get by on the gift of gab usually just have the “gift of boredom.”

 Teachers and speakers are no different than other folks. To be helpful to others, you have to work at developing your talent.

Preach to empty pews. Lead empty seats in songs. Teach to empty chairs.

Bake pies and cakes for neighbors. Teach little children about life. Do it again and again. Even if you think you are pretty good, you will get better.

By doing this you will be using “whatever gift he [or she] has received to serve others.”

That is the goal!

 ~Lonnie Davis

Over the years, I have discovered many amazing and useful stories. Today I share two of those stories with you. I hope you find them both interesting and enlightening.

1. Make Sure you Have the Horses

A bunch of really smart people got together in 1880 to predict the future, according to Jeff Stibel in his intriguing 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 by 1980, you’d need six million horses to transport all the people who would live there.

2. Write it Down

In Plato’s Phaedrus, the earliest and best-known critique of writing, Socrates warns his companion Phaedrus that writing will only make human memory weaker:

This invention will produce forgetfulness in the minds of those who learn to use it, because they will not practice their memory. Their trust in writing, produced by external characters which are no part of themselves, will discourage the use of their own memory within them. (Plato 1925, 274e–275a)

Hmmm. We remember this, of course, because Plato wrote it down.

I long for great faith. I want to be strong in all circumstances. I love faith, yet sometimes I doubt. Why?

In today’s writing we will see four reasons we doubt.

I call it

Four Causes if doubt

1. Some doubt when they trust the wrong things.

The Israelites are warned not to trust in weapons and allies. Isaiah wrote, “Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen.” The Lord is not telling us not to build an army, but rather that an army is not a substitute for God. He ends this verse by warning against trusting armies, but not looking ““to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the LORD.”

2. Some doubt when their dreams are crushed.

Job had everything taken from him. Even his children were taken. In spite of losing everything Job says, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust Him.” (Job 13:15)

3. Some doubt when death comes.

The Christians in Thessalonica expected Jesus to come very, very soon. When their loved ones were dying they worried and doubted. In answer to this doubt Paul wrote the beautiful text on death and His second coming. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17). After sharing those great words Paul wrote, “Therefore encourage one another with these words.” (18)

4. We Doubt when the winds blow.
Most of us remember the great story of Peter waking on water. He had the faith to walk on water, but “when he saw the wind” he let fear drain his faith.

Winds have a way of facilitating doubt. Anyone can be full of faith when there is no wind or storms, but faith is true faith when it does not doubt in the midst of the winds. Seeing Peter’s doubt Jesus asked, “You of little faith…why did you doubt?”

All of us will struggle with faith and doubt, Moses did, Peter did and so do I. If we will learn to lean on him we will build that faith and doubt will ebb away. Faith grows.

~Lonnie Davis

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.”

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