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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.”

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!

When my Ginger was five-years-old, her mischief got her into trouble. After a little swat on the bottom, she cried. When she finished crying, I wanted to make sure she knew why I spanked her.

“Ginger,” I asked, “Do you know why I spanked you?”

“Yes,” she sniffled.

“Why?”

With her big brown eyes looking up at me, she answered, “Cause you’re mad at me.”

 I was so glad I asked her. I would have hated for her to have shed tears for nothing. If she did not know why she was disciplined, then the discipline was wasted and improperly done. I spent a few minutes sitting beside her and explaining the lesson she needed to learn.

 Many years later she called me at six in the morning with the news that her apartment had burned down. No one was hurt, but a lot of things were burned up. She kept a good attitude at first, but as the days went by, things got harder. She and her husband moved to another apartment, but it was noisy and awful. They had to close down their business for a few days. Hers and Jeff’s routines were all messed up. Life started to feel hard. I spent a few phone calls telling her that everything would be okay. She had great faith, but still there were those tough days.

 Within a few days of the fire, she and Jeff closed on their new home. It is on a cul-de-sac in a nice, quiet neighborhood. The day they closed was one of the happiest days of her lives. I called her. She had suffered and now that the pain was mostly past, I wanted to make sure that she had learned the lesson.

 “Ginger,” I said to her, “For Christians, everything works out in the end. If it hasn’t worked out yet, then it is not the end.” We laughed about God taking my old car that had 220,000 mile. I told her God took her apartment so he could give her a beautiful new house.

 Romans 8:28 says, “We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God.” No, I do not believe that God wrecked my car or burned her apartment, but isn’t it neat how things worked out? I believe this passage teaches that Christians have the promise from God that the bad days of our lives can be turned into something good. You have to put forth the effort, but God will always do more than his share.

 Let me say it again, “For Christians, everything works out in the end. If it hasn’t worked out yet, then it is not the end.” Don’t fret or worry. Work toward and wait patiently for the good ending. It is coming.

Lonnie Davis

Today’s HeartWord – Hebrews 11:6

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Moses’ story really began as God looked down upon his hurting enslaved people. God wanted to send just the right leader to lead them out of their slavery and pain. Surely there had to be many young, strong, charismatic leaders among 600,000 Israelite men, but God did not choose any of them. There were, no doubt, many men with the gift of words. God wasn’t looking for a wordsmith. There were certainly those who would have jumped at the chance to lead for God or die trying. God did not choose one of those brave souls.

 Instead, God chose a man who ran away from his family while they were slavery and then stayed away for 40 years. God chose a man who was a poor speaker. God chose a man who was afraid to accept a big challenge. God chose a man who did not want to be a leader. God chose Moses. He all of these things and more.

 Moses just wanted to be left alone. Moses did not choose the task. God chose it for him. One of Shakespeare’s characters said, “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon ’em.” Moses had greatness thrust upon him.

 However, four times Moses gave excuses to God why he could not do what God called him to do. Four times God answered his objections. Finally Moses said, “O Lord, please send someone else to do it.” (Ex 4:13). No excuse, just make someone else do it.

 Moses was not very different than most of us. God has a task for each of us. We may not want it and may resist it, but God keeps urging us. Paul urged Timothy, “Do not neglect your gift.” (1 Tim 4:14) We all have been given a gift, a talent, and a calling.

God would not let Moses get away with rejecting His call. In the end Moses did the thing God led him to do. Maybe you too have resisted a challenge that God has placed before you. Maybe you have refused even to see the challenge. Maybe you are happy with things just as they are, but God says to you, “Do not neglect your gift.”

 Perhaps you are not 80. Maybe you are 30 or 40 or 50. If so, then your life’s title can read, “Life Begins at 50.” Go ahead and begin it. God will go with you on the journey.        

 

~Lonnie Davis

Matthew 16:26

What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?

The drive from my house to work was a beautiful drive. Every day I got to drive a couple of miles through a state park and year round it was beautiful. In the winter, the snow can hang onto the tree limbs that outline the road. In the spring the new growth was amazing. In the fall, the changing of the colors is a site to see. I love it.

 It was beautiful until something happened to ruin it – well, at least a part of it. Someone accidentally ran over a skunk. I know it was an accident because no one would ever do such a crazy thing on purpose.

For the next few days, when I drove down that beautiful road there was a section of the drive that stunk. I have seen policemen pull over and remove the bodies of dead animals from the highways, but no one removed the dead skunk. I am reminded of several truths from this incident.

1. A mess is a mess, even when it is an accident.

Many people excuse every terrible thing they have done with a “I didn’t mean to.” Children think that an apology is all it takes to make everything okay. I sometimes appreciate an apology, but a stink is still a stink. Do not focus on the word “sometimes” in the last sentence. A true apology is always appreciated, but there are people who apologize, but never try to fix anything. That is not a real apology.

2. Sometime things happen in life that you can’t fix.

No one wanted to clean up the mess, so we just have to wait till it goes away on its own. David asked for forgiveness from his sin. God forgave him, but the sword never departed from his house. Jacob wrestled with an angel till the angel touched him in the hip and for the rest of his life he limped. Even with forgiveness there are often consequences.

3. The smell will eventually go away.

Right now it may seem like you will never get past your problem. Don’t be impatient, this too will pass. I love the fellow who was asked what his favorite Bible verse was and he quoted “it came to pass.” What ever your hard spot is, it will pass. It always does. The phrase “it came to pass” is found 453 times in the KJV.

 In your life, this skunk too will pass.

 Lonnie Davis

HeartWord – Psalm 118-24

“This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

Moses’ Snake and David’s Bear

Moses’ Snake

 Do you remember the time that Moses ran from a snake? Moses didn’t run from just any snake, he ran from a snake that was sent from God. Here is the scene: At the burning bush, Moses tries to avoid the responsibility that God gives to him so God sends him a sign. He commanded Moses to throw his staff  (kind of like a large stick) onto the ground. “So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent.” “And Moses ran from it.” (Exodus 4:3-4).

 As our story continues, God told Moses, “Put out your hand and catch it by the tail.” Amazingly, “he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand.” Don’t miss the sequence. He ran. God told him to pick the snake up. He stopped running and picked up the snake. After he picked it up, “it became a staff in his hand.”

 I don’t mind picking up a snake if God will turn it into a stick before I pick it up. Sometimes, however, God challenges us to pick up the snake and trust that He will fix it after it is in our hand.

 David’s Bear

 As a child, David killed a bear. Later, when he was trying to convince King Saul that the could kill the giant Goliath, he explained it to King Saul this way, “a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it.” (1 Sam 17:34-35).

 Look at that courage, David grabbed the bear by the beard and killed it.

 So what does all this mean to us? In our story, bears and snakes stand for all those scary times we have to face. When we face them, we need to remember that God can kill our snakes and bears. He is with us when we worship on Sunday morning, but he is also with us when we face snakes and bears.

 Lonnie Davis

HeartWord – Isaiah 41:10

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

It was the worse broken leg I had ever known about. What made it worse was that it was on my brother. There is an old saying, “minor surgery is done on you and major surgery is done on me.” Well, I am not him, but he needed major surgery. The doctor set his leg in a cast. It went from his foot and ran up to his hip. For two months all he could do was sit in a chair. After two months they took the cast off and put him in a special boot. For four more months he wore that big, clumpy boot. Nearly six months after the accident and many trips to the doctor, he made one more trip to the doctor.

 “Doc,” he said, “this boot is ugly and never matches anything. Can I get another boot to match it?” The doctor said, “Take the boot off and quit wearing it.” “Doc,” he replied, “all I am asking for is a matching boot.” Again the doctor said, “Take the boot off. You don’t need it anymore.”

 After six months, surgery, casts and reinforced boots, it was over. It was almost over. Well, there was one more problem. “Doc,” my brother said, “I can’t.” Then he quietly added, “I’m scared.”

 “I’m scared” are not the words of a coward. They are the words of all of us. Fear does not just make us want to wear an ugly boot, it permeates our whole life. When the disciples saw Jesus walking on the water, they were afraid. Jesus quickly called out to them, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” (Matt 14:27) Over and over Jesus urged his followers to “Fear not.” (Matt 10:26; 12:31, 28:5; Luke 5:10; 12:5; John 12:15) and many, many other places.

 We believe in God. We trust that he will help us through the “valley of the shadow of death.” We claim that we will “fear no evil, for thou art with me,” but still we are afraid. What if I fail? What if I lose my job? What if food prices and gas prices go so high I can’t afford them? What if I? What if I?

For all those “What if” questions, Jesus has a word of encouragement – “Don’t be afraid?” When Peter tried to walk on water and then began to sink, Jesus caught him, “’You of little faith,’ he said, ‘why did you doubt?” When your life is tumbling in, do not doubt. Do not fear. Only trust Him.

“Nothing is going to happen to you today that you and God cannot handle.”            

Lonnie Davis

HeartWord – Joshua 1:9

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”        

 Every event in the the story of the 10 plagues of Egypt is fascinating, but I am especially taken with the second plague.

In the second plague, God brought frogs upon the land. They were everywhere. Open the door and there they were. Turn down the blanket and there are frogs! Take down a dish and what did you find inside? Frogs! … Frogs, frogs, frogs. It seems like a harmless and even humorous plague, but it was not.

 Finally the Pharaoh had enough and asked Moses to take away the frogs. Moses asked him a rather odd question, “When do you want me to take away the frogs?” If that is an odd question, then the Pharaoh’s answer is completely bizarre. He answered “Tomorrow!” (Exodus 8:10) Tomorrow? Wow! I know what my answer would have been – “Right now!” I am done with frogs. Take them away now!

 Why did he want one more night with the frogs? Maybe he wanted one more night to see if the frogs would just go away on their own. Maybe the answer is, that is just how people are. People want to put off everything until tomorrow.

 In Luke chapter nine, Jesus confronted some other “tomorrow” people. “Follow me,” he challenged, but they began pleading for tomorrow. “First let me go and bury my father.” (Luke 9:59) He challenged a second man who responded, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-bye to my family.” Every time Jesus called someone they would say, “Yes, but first…”

 They all had excuses to allow the themselves to wait until tomorrow. Everyone plans to do wonderful things tomorrow, but not today. Read Luke 9:57-62 and you will see that Jesus had warning words for those who procrastinate.

 That warning still rings today. The problem with the lure of tomorrow is that there is no guarantee that any of us will have a tomorrow. We must live each day and do the good we can without counting on tomorrow.

 Whatever it is you need to do, Do not try to have one more night with the frogs. Just do it!

Lonnie Davis

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