For their seventh and fourth birthdays, which we celebrated together, we gave our grandsons scooters.  They were small scooters, starter scooters, I called them, about like a skateboard with a handle.  But they were thrilled.  If ever we got a gift right, we seem to have that time.  Before long they were zooming around like little speed demons.
            Of course, four year old Judah was not quite up to his older brother’s antics.  He tried his best to follow him in the same places, at the same speed, and usually wound up losing it on a curve.  Finally he stopped, turned down his little lip and said, “I can’t do it good.”
            Of course he could; he was doing just fine for his age.  He just couldn’t do what his big brother could.  While there isn’t much difference between forty-four and forty-seven, there is a lot of difference between four and seven.
            And too often that’s what we do.  We judge ourselves against people who are older, wiser, and more experienced.  I see this woman handling a life threatening illness like cancer and I can’t even handle the flu without getting grumpy and complaining.  One man sees another teach an outstanding class on Zechariah and he can’t even give a decent five-minute Wednesday night talk.  And both become so depressed they stop doing what they can do.
And if we aren’t careful, instead of gradually growing and learning how, we give up too.  Or we blame it on God for our lack of talent, or on our parents for not making us do our lessons as children, or for not taking us to church, or on the church for not using us as we “ought to be used,” regardless of what we can and cannot do.  Any of those is our handy alibi for sitting down and doing nothing.
            The day that Judah complained was a Sunday.  “Guess what?” I asked him. 
            His big blue eyes turned up to me as he said, “What?”
          “Tomorrow is Monday and Silas will be at school.  That means you can practice your scooter all day if you want to and before long, you will be as good as he is.  And by his age, maybe even better!”
           He gave me a lop-sided grin like he wasn’t sure about that.  “Really?” he asked.
           “Really!”  I said.  And he hasn’t given up.  He knows he needs to work at it, but he also knows that he will get better.  He already has.
           And that’s what we need to remember.  Plus this: God doesn’t compare us to brother or sister Whozit.  He knows what we can and cannot do.  He is the one who decides what we are capable of—not us!  And if we keep on trying, we will “do it good,” good enough to please a gracious Father.
 
So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. (1Pet 2:1-3)
           

Today's post is by guest writer Keith Ward.

Christianity seems to have become a way to be happy.  Having marital problems?  Become a Christian and go to church and you will smile your way to wedded bliss.  Financial problems? Just join and be happy.  Health issues?  Join the right church and do the right worship and get on the prayer list and amaze the doctors at your instant cure.  Certainly, the above is a simplistic view of what much of our preaching and outreach has become but no one can deny that we have a huge problem.  The most common retort about one’s lifestyle may be “Judge not that you be not judged,” but close behind it is, “God would want me to be happy.”

It has been said often, “God does not care whether you are happy, he wants you to be saved.”  However, the problem seems not to diminish.  When faithful attenders (note that I did not say, “Christians”) find it a challenge to spend more prayer time than screen time, more Bible study time than game playing time, more money to church, preachers and poor than to our recreation, the matter has moved beyond a problem into a crisis.

We need not be in pain to be servants, but surely the easy measure of attendance on cushioned pews is not even on the bottom of the scale of servanthood.  Look at those who were written for our learning:

Abraham wandered homeless for 100 years and wondered for a quarter century when God would fulfill His promise.

David had one slip in an exemplary life and never had a moment’s peace thereafter.

Jeremiah probably never had one happy day in his life after he accepted God’s commission to be a prophet and was kidnapped to die in a foreign land after the horror of watching his predictions fulfilled.  Feel his pain by reading LAMENT-ations.  Also, read his curse on his own life and wish to never have been born (Jer 20:7-18).

Jeremiah’s scribe Baruch wished for something for himself for all that he suffered alongside Jeremiah.  God replied that He would give Baruch his life (Jer 45, only 5 verses)

Hosea was told to marry an idolatress (i.e. non-Christian).  The outcome of that was her predictable adultery.  His misery allowed Hosea to write eloquently of God’s misery at the apostasy of Israel.

Paul wrote of thorns in the flesh and sufferings and that was before his Roman imprisonment and shipwreck (2Cor 11:23-28).  James was beheaded.  Stephen stoned.  Unknown numbers of families were driven from their homes by Saul.  (Acts 12, 7, 8).

These all found Joy in serving God, but happiness was a foreigner in a faraway land.

Meanwhile, many who consider themselves faithful Christians can discuss some near-pornographic vengeance-filled movie or TV series with their co-workers and friends.  They consider it sacrifice to attend and deserving of extra credit to devote time to prayer and reading – scriptures, not best sellers.

It is a measure of the weakness of the faith of the many that I explained what to read.  “No,” one replies, “It is a measure of your attitude.”  It is not my attitude that most churches are declining, teachers cannot be found, members get ruffled at the slightest reproof and no one presses the “or perish” that goes with “Repent.”

We sing “The Servant Song” wherein we offer God a blank check to use our lives as He will.  Then we sissy out when we run into unhappiness.
 
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not also with him freely give us all things? Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies; who is he that condemns? It is Christ Jesus that died, yea rather, that was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? … we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that nothing … shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The part our mind refuses to see:
(1)  shall tribulation, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Even as it is written, For your sake we are killed all the day long; We were accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things...
(2)  neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature...

Keith Ward

It’s spring and that means the tarps that have been protecting things for several months need to be laid out to dry, folded, and put up.  It’s spring and the plastic sheeting needs to be set up over the small, early, garden plot because we will have another frost or two.  It’s spring and that means the breezes are blowing and nothing will stay where you put it for any length of time at all.
            In late February Keith was out in the field laying out the tarps and plastic to dry in the sun, and trying to weigh down the corners with buckets and tools and anything else that came to hand.  He had managed three or four all by himself before dinner, and then I walked out with him afterward to see the freshly tilled garden and the early plot he had set out.  He bent to secure one corner of plastic just as the breeze increased and blew it right out of his hand.  I leaned down to help on my end only to have it, too, blown from my grasp.  He got hold of his corner as I chased mine around in a circle.  Finally we each had a corner and bent to secure them with handfuls of moisture-heavy garden dirt, only to have a particularly strong gust blow it free yet again.
            Three or four tries later we had the early plot covered and secured, the plastic stretched over a line three feet off the ground that ran down the middle to make a small greenhouse of sorts.  We were clothes-pinning the center where the “door” of our teepee met on either end.  Even that took a few tries followed by pinched faces and hunched shoulders waiting for the breeze to once again undo it all.  It held!
            “Whew!” he exclaimed.  “This kind takes prayer and fasting.” I looked at him with a rueful smile, and wondered how many prayers he must have prayed before I got there to help.
            You know, of course, that he was referring to Matt 17:21.  The disciples could not cast a demon out of a boy, but Jesus could.  For their lack of faith they received a stern rebuke, yet Jesus added that it was a particularly difficult demon to cast out.  Sometimes you will have to work harder than others, he seemed to mean by his comment about prayer and fasting.
            And occasionally overcoming a temptation is more difficult than at other times.  Sometimes it’s the circumstances.  If you are tired, or in pain, or grieving, or in any number of other situations, you may have a more difficult time passing the test.  Sometimes it’s the test itself.  Some things bother us more than others, pushing the buttons that most easily cause a reaction.  Sometimes it’s the “help.”  How many times has someone offered the advice to “calm down,” only to have that very advice cause the opposite reaction in spades?
            But notice this about that narrative in the gospels:  Jesus still expected those disciples to have mastered the demon and tossed it out.  Yes, it’s a hard one, he said, but you could have done it if you had enough faith.
            And so can we, if we are in the correct frame of mind.  There is always a way of escape.  It is never more than we can handle.  It doesn’t matter what the test is, what the circumstances are, or how many well- or even ill-meaning people get in the way. So here are a few suggestions that might help all of us.
            Know your hot buttons and avoid them.  How many times do the Proverbs call people fools who go blundering about their lives without even a thought where they might be headed?  How many other times are the “fools” the ones who go to difficult places with the arrogant notion they won’t be trapped like everyone else?
            If you cannot avoid these difficult situations, then prepare yourself before you get there.  If that means looking at yourself in the mirror and giving yourself a good talking to before you leave the house, then do it.  If it means praying before you leave—always a good idea—do it. 
            Then, don’t forget what you did the minute the door shuts behind you.  Nothing changes because your surroundings did.  If it means quoting scripture all the way through the situation itself, or singing hymns, do it.  Do whatever it takes.
            Don’t blame your failure on anyone else.  “I was doing fine until you came along and…” won’t change the bottom line.  You blew it.
            Do not give yourself an out of any kind.  “He deserved it [my tirade],” would cause you a lot of pain if it were said of you and God followed through on it—we all “deserve it” whatever “it” we might be talking about.  Don’t feel sorry for yourself because it was “hard.”  Do not ever excuse yourself if you failed.  You will never improve if you do.
          Know yourself.  Know what might take “prayer and fasting” to overcome.  God expects it of you, just as He did those apostles.  He expects you to succeed.  And you can.
 
Save yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the hand of the fowler. Prov 6:5
 
Dene Ward

Last fall I saw an article which asked, "How many pounds are you planning to gain over the holidays?"
            "What?" I thought.  I wasn't "planning" to gain any, but I knew I surely would because I always do, usually 8-10 pounds, which I then spend January and February trying to take off.
            But then I thought about the point, which I am not sure the author of this article was actually trying to make, but which occurred to me almost instantly.  If you are not planning how to keep the weight off, you might as well plan to gain it, especially after a certain age.  There must be a preventive plan in place to keep that from happening.
            So let me ask this:  How much are you planning to sin this week?  I see your reaction was the same as mine to that other question.  And once again, the point is, if you are not actively trying to avoid sin and even temptation, you will probably fall right into it sooner rather than later.  How do you avoid it?  Different things probably work best for different people.  For me it's prayer, study, meditation, and keeping myself busy with the Lord's work, especially teaching, writing, and serving.  It's more difficult to fall into sin when you just spent an hour or two writing lessons on spiritual maturity.  Others might need other types of help.  You know yourself best.  It's just being honest with yourself that becomes the problem.
            As far as the holidays go, we made a plan.  When I made the usual holiday goodies, I took them somewhere else and left them there rather than bringing home the leftovers.  That way my children and grandchildren still got what they love without too much harm to us.  And we only got "careless" about our eating on the actual holiday rather than the whole holiday season.  It cut my usual weight gain by less than half and it was gone before the end of January.  The plan made the difference.
            So make your plans this week.  Not about your eating, but about avoiding sin.  You still might slip, but I bet you get further into the week with less error than ever before simply because you are more aware and thinking about it.  If you do slip, acknowledge it and repent right away, and begin again.
            How much do you plan to sin this week?  Tell yourself, "Not at all," and then do your best to make it happen.
 
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace (Rom 6:12-14).
 
Dene Ward
 

Yesterday we spent a few moments looking at our obligations to civil government according to the New Testament.  Do those obligations change if we are being persecuted?  What examples do we have about our actions then?
           
1.  Quiet compliance when the laws are not opposed to God's Word.
          After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. And he went to see them (Acts 18:1-2).
            Aquila and Priscilla were told to leave Rome simply because they were of the Jewish race.  What did they do?  They left Rome.  I am not sure what difficulties it might have caused them, what hardships they suffered because of the ouster.  But that law was not against the Law of God so they did as they were told.
           
2.  Prayers for safety.
          About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. He killed James the brother of John with the sword, and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also…When [the escaped Peter] realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying (Acts 12:1-3,12).
            If you are under threat for your faith, if you or a brother or sister have been arrested and put into danger, there is certainly nothing wrong with praying about it, or gathering with others and praying together.  It is not a lack of faith but a perfectly normal reaction.  What else should a Christian do in times of trouble but go to his Father and ask for help, for safety, for deliverance?
           
3.  Flight when possible
            When many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him, but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket (Acts 9:23-25).
            There may come a time when we have to run, or when we have to hide.  I would say Paul's example, once again, shows us that is not a lack of faith but a very practical response.  We know of many such times in history where the early Christians had to do both of those things.
           
4.  Acceptance of circumstance and continuing the work.
            I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear (Phil 1:12-14).
            Paul eventually reached the point that he could no longer run.  He was arrested and lived under guard.  What did he do?  Sit there and cry about it?  Ask God, Why me when I have been doing such a good work?  No, he just kept working in whatever capacity he could, and trusted God to "give the increase."  He knew that to stop preaching would have made the enemy the winner.  I know of a brother in another country who, even now, while imprisoned because of his faith, is still preaching and converting souls.
           
          This certainly may not answer every circumstance that might come along, but I hope it will help you think about these things, things that could very well matter in a few years.  I pray not, but it's not looking good out there, people.  Be prepared and know what you need to do to remain faithful.
 
Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! (2Tim 2:8-9).
 
Dene Ward

I think it is obvious that many of us are not particularly happy with our government these days.  This is not the first time in history this has happened, nor will it be the last I am sure.  Paul and Peter wrote to Christians who lived under a tyrant whom many historians have said was insane.  I daresay they were not particularly pleased with a government that used its tax dollars to fund a coliseum where the Romans citizenry at large made sport of Christians being slaughtered.  But I think some of us are coming dangerously close to sin in our actions and attitudes.  Let's just take a moment today to remind ourselves of our obligations to civil government, no matter how good or bad it may be.  In no particular order, we owe our government the following:
           
            1.  Obedience.
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment (Rom 13:1-2).
Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people (1Pet 2:13-15).
            Notice, this does not specify only a certain type of government.  Paul speaks very generally when he says "governing authorities."  Christ even went so far as to say that God gives government its authority, and he was talking to Pilate then (John 19:11), certainly an unrighteous ruler. Daniel says the following three times in his book:  "The Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will" (4:17, 25, 32).  Jeremiah says much the same thing in Jeremiah 27:5.
              Peter says we are to obey "for the Lord's sake."  The only time we can refuse is when the government demands we do something opposite of God's commands.  But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men " (Acts 5:29).  Instead of complaining, count yourself blessed when you CAN obey because it means you are probably not under active persecution at the moment.

            2.  Respect
Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor (1Pet 2:17).
Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed (Rom 13:7).
            I can hear it now:  "He doesn't deserve my respect."  Wrong.  He deserves your respect because God told you to respect him for who and what he is—your governing authority.  That doesn't mean you have to like everything he does, certainly not the unrighteous things.  But it does mean you treat him with respect, dignity, and honor because God said to.  This may be the most difficult part for many of us.  But here is the bottom line:  will you obey God in this matter or not?  Because if you think you can pick and choose the commandments you will obey, you may as well stop trying.
           
            3.  Prayers
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way (1Tim 2:1-2).
          That doesn't say we just pray for our country.  It says we pray specifically for those people "in high positions."  That means even people we don't much care for.  And here you can see exactly what we are to pray for in their regard: "that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life."  If you keep on reading in Timothy you see why this is so important.  It is not just a selfish desire; it's so we can more easily spread the gospel (verses 3,4).  Who can take the time to sit down and talk with a friend when you are having to hide from authorities or run for your life?  When things are peaceful, we can teach, we can preach, we can spread the gospel to our friends and show them our example in the way we live.  Count your blessings if you can do that, and then get out there and do it.
            Those are our obligations.  Now what do we do in regard to the government if we are indeed persecuted?  What godly examples do we have in the New Testament?  That will be our subject tomorrow.
 
But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare (Jer 29:7).  (Spoken to the Jews in captivity.)
 
Dene Ward

I bet if I were to ask you which king set the standard for evil in Israel, without hesitation you would answer, “Ahab,” along with his Sidonian wife, Jezebel.  Certainly the two of them accomplished a heap of wickedness in their rule of the northern kingdom, everything from idolatry and murder to all sorts of immorality; but you might be surprised at the one who is mentioned most often as a comparison of evil in the scriptures.
            Jeroboam was the first king of the northern half of the divided nation.  He feared that he would lose the support of the people and they would turn back to the Davidic dynasty in the south, regardless of the fact that God promised him, if you will hearken to all that I command you, and walk in my ways, and do that which is right in my eyes, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did, that I will be with you, and will build you a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel to you, 1 Kgs 11:38.  Because he did not have faith in that promise, he changed the pattern of worship as set forth in the Law, 1 Kgs 12:25-33. 
            He made a new feast day, v 32-33, so the people would not be traveling to Jerusalem with all the southerners to worship together, v 27.  He began making priests of other tribes than Levi, v 31.  He made two new places of worship, Dan and Bethel, conveniently located at both ends of the country, so the people would not feel compelled to travel to Jerusalem—anything to keep them at home and happy.  It is important to note, too, that the calves he built were not idols to be worshipped, but graven images by which the people were to worship Jehovah—something Amos and Hosea make more apparent than 1 Kings.  This was not rampant idolatry; it was just a change in the pattern of worshipping Jehovah.
            So what is the problem?  They still worship Jehovah.  They still keep feasts to Jehovah, and make sacrifices under the leadership of a priesthood.  Yet these were things devised of his own heart, v 33, not things that God had ordained.  This is the difference:  God said through the prophet Ahijah in 14:14-16, Jehovah will raise up a king who will cut off the house of Jeroboam…For Jehovah will smite Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water, and he will root up Israel out of this good land which he gave to their fathers, and will scatter them beyond the River…and he will give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, which he has sinned, and in which he made Israel to sin.  From the point of the northern kingdom’s first king, God had decided their fate—they would not stand for the Law, so he would not stand for them.
            Now take a few minutes and read these passages:  1 Kgs 15:3, 29, 30; 16:25,26, 31; 22:51,52; 2 Kgs 3:1-3; 10:29-31; 13:1-3, 10, 11; 14:23,24; 15:8,9,17,18,23,24; 17:20-23.  What do they have in common?  A phrase similar to this: and he walked in the ways of Jeroboam the son of Nebat in which he made Israel to sin.  Five times a king is said to have done evil “like Ahab,” but sixteen times the honor goes to Jeroboam.  Jeroboam single-handedly caused the destruction of the northern kingdom, and set the standard for evil among all her kings.  How?  By disrespecting the Law of God.  That is the legacy of Jeroboam.
            Whether we like it or not, we are all leaving a legacy.  It may not affect a kingdom, but it will affect our children, and theirs, and theirs, till before you know it, we have affected hundreds.  The greatest legacy we can leave is to follow God’s pattern for marriage, raising children, worship, and social conduct.  If your children are small, now is the time to become conscious of the legacy you are leaving, before it’s too late.  The frightening thing about legacies is, they cannot be undone!
 
But when that generation was gathered to their fathers, there arose a generation that knew not God…Judges 2:10.  Don’t let it be your children’s generation.
 
Dene Ward

A few years ago I went on a trip and, as I was packing, I pulled out my favorite earrings and put them in a plastic bag to take with me.  What I did with them after that I have still yet to recall.  When I arrived at my destination, they were nowhere in my suitcase or my purse.  After returning home, I checked my drawers, my closets, my suitcases—even bags I did not take with me—plus my jewelry box, and the trash can.  I thought to myself, I must have had my mind somewhere else and put them in a strange place—like the times I put the milk in the pantry and the peanut butter in the refrigerator—but they will turn up sooner or later.  Those earrings have yet to reappear.        
            Funny how we have such a hard time remembering things we really want to remember but cannot forget those things we ought to forget.  Forgiveness is a tricky thing.  While I suppose a hurt is impossible to actually forget, forgiveness means we don’t continue to dwell on the past, keeping account of wrongs done us by various ones like a bookkeeper with OCD.  Yet that is exactly what the Lord expects of us.
            When he told Peter his disciples should forgive unto “seventy-times seven” it was a hyperbole, an exaggeration for emphasis.  No matter how many times a brother hurts me, I am to forgive.  That large a number also emphasizes that I am to do my best to forget.  How else could you forgive someone 490 times unless you have forgotten the previous 489?  The Lord knew what He was asking of us—continual forgiveness for a brother, even for the same sin, as many times as it takes.  He certainly understands the difficulty in that little proposition because He does it for us far more times than that.  If we choose a number to stop at, He will too.  He has probably already passed 490 with us.           
           Wouldn’t it be great if we could forget as easily as we can forget where we put the car keys, or our glasses, or the reason we went into the bedroom to begin with?  We forget those things because we so often have our minds on something else and get sidetracked.  Do you suppose that might work for forgiving others too?    
 
Put on therefore, as God's elect, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, longsuffering; forbearing one another, and forgiving each other, if any man has a complaint against any; even as the Lord forgave you, so also do ye: and above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfectness.
Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense, Col 3:12-14; Prov 19:11.
 
Dene Ward

I bought groceries the other day, and as I wandered down the produce aisle, I went past a cart in which the worker had stacked a pile of lettuce heads that were obviously past their prime, rusting and wilted.  Meanwhile, the line in front of the bagged salads stretched halfway across the produce section.  I was headed that way myself—only because they are on sale and I have a coupon, I salved my frugal conscience, certainly not because they are easier.
            As I waited my turn, I eased my way past containers of pre-chopped peppers, onions, celery, and garlic.  I had seen tubs of already mashed potatoes earlier, and when I scoured the freezer section for shrimp to cook in my bouillabaisse, I had to dig to find some that were not peeled, deveined, and pre-cooked.  Everyone wants the easy way these days.  Even the last few years I taught piano, it was not unusual for a parent to ask.  “How long will it take for my child to learn how to do this?”  After 45 years I was still learning!  No wonder you hear so much about easy-lose diets, an easy way to a toned body, and easy-read Bibles. 
           When I was a child, older folks often said, “It’s only worth the effort it cost you.”  God never says being His child will be easy.  Even when Jesus says, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light,” He is talking in relative terms—it is still a yoke and a burden.  But, unlike sin’s, His yoke and burden do not come with the built-in weight of guilt, an overriding, insurmountable millstone that will crush your spirit long before it destroys your soul for an eternity.  Paul says we will be a servant to something, either to sin unto death or obedience unto righteousness…But now being made free from sin and become servants to God, you have your fruit unto sanctification, and the end eternal life., Rom 6:16, 22.  Unlike the fatal weight of sin, this yoke and burden we can “live” with!
            The next time I want a salad, I will try to think about that, and buy the whole head, then relax and enjoy the chopping.
 
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me thoroughly from my sin…Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean; wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.  Make me to hear joy and gladness...Restore unto me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with your free spirit…Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, Oh Jehovah, the God of my salvation, and my tongue shall sing aloud of your righteousness.  Selected lines from the 51st Psalm.
 
Dene Ward

"You are not what we need right now."
            I wonder how many times people have heard that as they were turned down for a job.  I suppose it might be the nicest way to reject an applicant.  The unfortunate thing is that many preachers have heard similar comments, usually when they are asked to leave.  I can't help but think of the prophet Amos.
            For some reason God chose that old country boy, a shepherd and farmer (Amos 1:1; 7:14) who came from the sticks of the Southern kingdom to preach to the more sophisticated social elite of the Northern kingdom.  Just imagine sending an Arkansas hillbilly to preach to people in New York City and you have the picture.  Our first reaction might be, "What in the world was God thinking?"  The people of Israel, and Amos himself, wondered about that. 
            And Amaziah said to Amos, O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, and eat bread there, and prophesy there, but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king's sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom. Then Amos answered and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, nor a prophet's son, but I was a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore figs. But the LORD took me from following the flock, and the LORD said to me, Go, prophesy to my people Israel (Amos 7:12-15).  We don't want you, he was told.  And Amos as much as answered, "Hey!  This wasn't my idea!"  But Amos obeyed God and preached what he was told to preach.
            What most of us want in a preacher is a Hosea, the one we call the prophet of lovingkindness.  We want someone to pat us on the back and tell us that everything will be all right as long as we have sincere hearts and try real hard to be good.  The truth is that Hosea is more the exception than the rule when it comes to God's prophets.  The rest of them never mince words and tell it like it is no matter who doesn't want to hear it.  Why do you think so many wound up sitting in prison, running for their lives, or being martyred?
            What we must understand is that we do not always, maybe even seldom, know exactly what we need.  It may very well be that what I need is a good swift kick in the rear to wake me up from self-delusion about my spiritual state.  Do I want that?  Of course not.  I doubt if anyone does, but I will be much happier in the end if I get what I need instead of what I want.
            Be careful about thinking you know exactly what you need spiritually.  People who are watching you may have another viewpoint altogether.  Remember that when an Amos approaches and be ready to thank him.
 
And he said to me, Son of man, I send you to the people of Israel, to nations of rebels, who have rebelled against me. They and their fathers have transgressed against me to this very day. The descendants also are impudent and stubborn: I send you to them, and you shall say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD. And whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house) they will know that a prophet has been among them (Ezek 2:3-5).
 
Dene Ward