Can You Hear Him Now?
What a nice day it has been Father! Time in worship, followed by time with Karen! Then time at home. Thank You for Your presence in it all!
John 1:29-34 (<<click here to read the passage)
Almost 20 years ago a popular mobile phone carrier began an advertising campaign using the slogan, “Can you hear me now?” We’ve come a long way since those days but when this campaign began individual employees of the carrier would literally drive more than 100,000 miles a year to test the reliability of their network.
Back then “Can you hear me now?” was a common question when using a cell phone since much of the country just didn’t have good cell reception at the time. It has vastly improved but there are still a lot of “dead” spots depending on where you are.
Cell phone receptivity is contingent upon the signal from towers being clearly received. You can have the most up-to-date cell phone, but if a signal can’t get to your phone…you’re out of luck.
In a way, we are like cell phones. The entity trying to reach us with His signal is God. Except for this time His signal is not the issue. It is clear as a bell. He can literally reach any corner of the globe.
Psalm 139:7-12 shows this to be true.
I can never escape from your Spirit!
….I can never get away from your presence!
If I go up to heaven, you are there;
….if I go down to the grave, you are there.
If I ride the wings of the morning,
….if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
even there your hand will guide me,
….and your strength will support me.
I could ask the darkness to hide me
….and the light around me to become night—
….but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.
To you the night shines as bright as day.
….Darkness and light are the same to you.
We cannot escape from the Spirit of God. But something we can do is to ignore Him. Even those who do not know Him can be reached and spoken to. Yet they too can turn a deaf ear to Him.
As I read through verse 33, it is clear that John heard God and responded to His directive. He said, “…God sent me…he told me”.
You may struggle as I do, but when God speaks…and He unquestionably does…His signal is strong, coming through loud and clear…but when He speaks, are we listening? Have we trained ourselves to ignore His voice? Do we now turn a dear ear to His calling?
If we respond to Him that way, we are not stuck in that mode. He can change us! It will take work on our part, but we can once again train ourselves to listen…to hear.
When many of us were younger, especially in the summer, we would play until way after the sunset. (In middle school, the kids in my neighborhood played flashlight tag – it was a blast! I loved being “it”!) But when it was time to wrap things up, a voice would shout into the darkness, “It’s time to come in!” and I knew it was my mom. I knew that voice. I loved that voice. I was attuned to that voice…and I obeyed.
We must do the same with God, and the only way to know His voice, the only way to love His voice, the only way to be attuned to His voice…is to spend time with Him. He wants that more than anything else…us spending time with Him. Oh, the places He will take you!
John listened – and so can you. It’s your call. Can you hear Him now?
Mar 7th, 2021, Sun, 6:44 pm
Have Questions? He’s Got the Answers!
A little later than normal, Father, but I would ask for Your hand on my shoulder as we come together this evening. Direct my thoughts and may I share Your word with whoever might observe it. Amen.
John 1:29-34 (<<click here to read the passage)
A struggle we all have when shopping for particular items is finding a knowledgeable associate. Having worked in retail for close to half my life I realize pretty quickly if the person helping us knows what they are talking about. The inexperienced can yap all they want but often their ignorance speaks much louder than their words.
J.T. was already working for Kohl’s when I came on board back in 2000. At the time he was a very knowledgeable and experienced head of maintenance. If anything needed to be addressed in the physical plant of our facility, he was the one to go to.
After a few years, they outsourced our maintenance and J.T. became the supervisor over the Home Department. Very quickly he became the go-to person over the merchandise in that entire area. Vacuums? Pillows? Electronics? He seemingly knew everything that needed to be known and if for some reason he didn’t, he was sure to find out in short order. When you needed something or advice on which way to go, J.T. was the man! He was the best person to go to for the answers to our questions.
In the opening line of today’s passage, John the Baptist saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! v29 NLT
Reaching all the way back to Exodus in obedience to the Law a lamb was sacrificed every morning and evening (Exodus 29:38-42). Only the ones as perfect as possible were chosen to appease the Lord’s command. The penalty for sin was death, a life had to be given. For thousands of years, day after day, lambs had been sacrificed but not one of them could cover their sins but for a few hours.
But God had a plan, and it would fulfill all of His requirements in their entirety! To bring this about God himself had to choose the Lamb, and God’s Lamb was His one and only Son. No other sacrifice would suffice.
No matter how hard we try we are but novices. We may think we know everything but in the grand scheme of things we know next to nothing. So, to whom do we go when we need hard answers to all of life’s hard questions? We go to the One who knows all of the answers. Before we even knew the questions, He already knew the answers!
Lord Jesus, enable us to avoid wasting time trying to find the answers to life’s questions all on our own. No one but You will know how to help us because You alone are the answer! Amen!
Mar 4th, 2021, Thurs, 8:01 pm
A Gentleman Like No Other
Thank You for a productive day, Father. I was able to get quite a bit done with everything else going on. And thank You for the assistance given to do so.
John 1:24-28 (<<click here to read the passage)
One of the finest managers I had the privilege to work under at Kohl’s was a gentleman by the name of Roland. I know of no one who thought poorly of him. He was (and still is) well respected by all.
When I typed the word “gentleman” I felt compelled to look it up and came across an article in the Columbia (South Carolina) Metropolitan Magazine. It was entitled, Qualities of a Gentleman: Letters from refined Columbians and it fits Roland to a T.
My primary point to you is that a gentleman strives to excel as a person and provides kindness and respect toward others. He does this regardless whether it is beneficial for him to do so. He demonstrates humility and shows graciousness to all people and things. The gentleman puts others first before himself. Education, breeding and wealth are not necessary determinants of a gentleman. A gentleman is a man of character. The gentleman shows respect and a sense of pride in himself, e.g. health and appearance, but is not boastful or “wears it on his sleeve.” The gentleman personifies the total concept of chivalry, not just in manners, but also in knowing that there is “right and wrong.” The gentleman is willing to stand up for what is “right” and be willing to fight for it with his mind and/or body. A gentleman does not “play the fool” or act as a doormat. Some people do not understand how one can be both gracious and firm. A gentleman understands balance.
Another man that this could be said of was John the Baptist. Yes, he most definitely was quite a unique character, but these qualities fit him to a T, as well.
Before Jesus came on the scene, John had acquired quite the following, hence the arrival of representatives from the Pharisees. John could easily have been full of himself but absolutely everything he said and did showed submission and humility.
Take, for example, his statement when pressed answers as to why he did what he did.
“It is He [the preeminent One] who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie [even as His slave].” v27 AMP
First a definition of preeminent. Simply put it means surpassing all others. Jesus was preeminent – no one even came close. John wasn’t put off by the fact but made it very plain where he stood in relation to Jesus.
An Amplified Bible note had this to say regarding John’s statement about the sandal strap.
During this era it was customary for a household servant to remove a guest’s sandals and wash the dust from his feet. John is saying that he is not worthy even to remove Christ’s sandal, let alone to touch His feet.
Humility…isn’t it refreshing? You would think that pride would be a rarity at least in the church! …you would think…but it is not. There are most definitely gentlemen in the church but there are more than a few who are full of themselves.
The bane of the Church is pride. Another word for bane would be ruination. Nothing so readily tears down the Church as pride does. I have seen far too many “followers of me, myself, and I” in my life. They are the ones in charge. They are the ones who make the necessary decisions. Nothing can be done without their fingerprints on it.
How many lives have been shattered because people have followed the creation instead of the Creator?
Lord Jesus, may we follow the example of John. You alone are worthy. You are preeminent. May humility infuse all we say and do. Amen!
Mar 3rd, 2021, Wed, 7:01 pm
A Bark Worse Than a Bite
Father, I have every reason to rely on You. When I am shaky at best, You are solid as a rock. May I fall into Your almighty arms for You will surely get me through anything and everything I might come up against! Amen.
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Early on my elementary route, there are two stops across from each other. The first house has a German Shepherd (and a couple of other little dogs) and the other house has three Labradoodles. Inevitably when I pull up to the first house, the dogs are at it. I think the German Shepherd has been trained to not leave his yard and the Labradoodles have an invisible fence in theirs. But believe you me, that doesn’t stop communication between them. The one on the left holds his own with the three on the right – back and forth, bark, bark, bark!
I don’t know if they are just catching up with everything since their last meeting or if they’re giving a vocal defense of their territories.
How often do we “bark” at each other? (And my mind isn’t going down the path of friendly interaction here.) I’m pretty sure that I am not alone when it comes to “barking” at my loved ones on more than rare occasions. When we are close and familiar with those around us it is very easy to jump on easy targets. Things are said or done and we in turn “interpret’ them to mean such and such. How many times are they just things said and done with no offense or affront intended? But we are all over it with quick retaliation!
Or how about when we are tired – maybe totally worn out, even – and when things don’t go the way we think they should, it doesn’t take much for us to blow up and really, we are just blowing things way out of proportion! Many times there is non-stop “barking” with our “opposition” getting no opportunity to get a “bark” in sideways!
Thoughtfully take time to digests these verses from the book of Proverbs and see if, just maybe, your bark may be worse than your bite. (All passages are from the New Living Translation.)
With their words, the godless destroy their friends,
….but knowledge will rescue the righteous. Proverbs 11:9
It is foolish to belittle one’s neighbor;
….a sensible person keeps quiet. Proverbs 11:12
Your kindness will reward you,
….but your cruelty will destroy you. Proverbs 11:17
A gentle answer deflects anger,
….but harsh words make tempers flare. Proverbs 15:1
Gentle words are a tree of life;
….a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit. Proverbs 15:4
Kind words are like honey—
….sweet to the soul and healthy for the body. Proverbs 16:24
Wise words satisfy like a good meal;
….the right words bring satisfaction. Proverbs 18:20
Telling lies about others
….is as harmful as hitting them with an ax,
wounding them with a sword,
….or shooting them with a sharp arrow. Proverbs 25:18
Lord Jesus, may Psalm 141:3 be the prayer of our hearts today.
Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;
Keep watch over the door of my lips [to keep me from speaking thoughtlessly]. AMP
Mar 2nd, 2021, Tues, 7:15 pm
Gotta Keep on Keepin’ On!
Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens;
….your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. Psalm 36:5 NLT
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I have sat here for 30 minutes and I am no further ahead than when I began. I’ve read through portions of John and, at least for tonight, nothing. I have looked through a couple of my books regarding hymns and again…nothing. In desperation, I looked back to this day 5 years ago when I was in the middle of Titus. As I backtracked to the beginning of my writing of that particular epistle of Paul it took me to my writings for January 11th, 2016. I wrote concerning Titus 1:1-4…
I am still struggling, and time is ticking away. I suppose I could compare myself to the island of Crete where Titus was sent to minister. The Good News had touched many lives but there was much to be done – to take numerous individuals all going different directions in life and attempting to bring them together as one body of believers would be the challenge.
Established mindsets are difficult to overcome. Even some who seemed solid in their determination to follow Christ would have issues with things that had long ago been laid to rest. As are we, the church is a living breathing organism. And as in any and every setting, the church continues to grow and decline, and mature and fall back. It is an ongoing endeavor both for the church and the individual to maintain their relationship with You, Lord, through all the many ups and downs. We kid ourselves if we think it doesn’t happen to us or that it only happens to us. All of us must continue to strive to keep our relationship with You alive and well. Jesus, You are there for us, You don’t give up on us, You forgive us when we fall but We are the ones who must decide to move forward – to not give up, but to advance.
Five years later that is still my plea. It has been a relatively short period of time, but our world has changed so much. I, too, have changed. No matter your take on COVID-19 we have all been impacted.
When I look back over the last year, I realized that our last date for “normal” worship was March 8th, 2020. Initially, I made attempts to contact people of my congregations but as time has gone on it has overwhelmed me. I have interacted with some, but my time seems to be taken with preparation for virtual services, writing, and work, as well as family responsibilities. I realize that I really need to reach out and interact with the people of my churches and they probably pray that I would.
Have you ever been in a position where you needed to tackle a big task but were stymied by the sheer volume of it all? You’ve held back not knowing where or how to start, so those roadblocks totally immobilize you. It is a difficult place to be.
Lord Jesus, my prayer from 5 years ago is appropriate in this time and place, too.
Lord, help me to keep in line with You – to not throw in the towel but to keep on, keeping on!
May it be so. Amen.
Mar 1st, 2021, Mon, 7:25 pm